We all know one of the fastest ways to make a mess in the kitchen is sprinkling seeds, salt, or nuts over soon-to-be-baked goods. And even then, there’s no guarantee that those crunchy toppings will stick.
The secret to getting a solid seed coating on free-form loaves? No sprinkling, says Emilie Raffa in her newest book Artisan Sourdough Made Simple. The Clever Carrot blogger experimented with many different ways to get seeds and nuts to adhere to bread dough. “Egg wash, egg white, milk, cream—you name it,” she writes.
Instead, her best seed-coated bread begins with a tea towel. Raffa spreads her seeds on a damp kitchen towel on a flat surface. Next, with floured hands, she shapes the dough into an oval and brushes the top with water. Using a bench scraper, she then transfers the dough onto the seeded towel, wet-side down.
From there, she lifts up the sides of the towel and rocks it back and forth (like a baby!). The combination of gravity and dampness keeps the seeds from going anywhere but the bread top. Once the dough is coated, she bakes it seed-side up, watching to make sure seeds don't burn in the oven. Now, this isn't a technique you can use for quick or other batter-based breads. But if you want a cleaner kitchen and crunchier crust, go ahead and give it a try.
Have you struggled to get seeds to stick to your bread? What's your trick?
Written by: Katie Macdonald
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4 Comments
However after reading the article, the “damp” tea towel or “Soaking” the seeds from the previous posting would that keep the seeds from burning?
You should try soaking them for the longer-baking loaves! It won't hurt. ;o)
For more delicate loaves like braided challah, (i) brush with egg wash; (ii) dip your index finger into the egg wash and then press it into a bowl of seeds; and (iii) roll your seed-coated finger gently across each exposed section of bread. The seeds will come off and adhere nicely, and quite prettily, too.
I make four-seeded baguettes on a regular basis (seeds inside and out, using Tartine bread methods and ratios for the baguettes, and 50 grams each of millet, poppy seeds and toasted flax seeds and sesame seeds per 1 kg flour, soaking the seeds in water 1:1 mass). I find that if you spray the shaped baguette well with water and then patiently (slowly, methodically) sprinkle the seeds from a loosely held but controlled hand just down the middle of each baguette, it works fine. Spray the water on each loaf before applying the seeds to it, as the water evaporates quickly. And then spray them all again before you put the bread in the oven, for the best crust. ;o)
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