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1
Plan well in advance! At least 2 and a half days ahead of when you might want the bread, make the sourdough starter: dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water and pour into a large bowl. Gradually whisk in the flour to make a smooth batter. Cover and leave at room temperature for 24 hours.
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2
Again mIx well and allow to rest for a further 24 hours. The result will be a fragrant, quite liquid, yeasty batter.
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3
At least 7-8 hours before the starter is ready prepare the 'soaker', ie: soak the linseed in a cup of water.
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4
Hours have gone by and you are almost at the crunch! The hard work starts here...
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5
In a new bowl, mix all the dry ingredients: the 2 flours, sugar, salt, sunflower and sesame seeds. Add the starter, the soaker and the remaining warm water and start mixing and kneading. If you have a heavy duty mixer with a dough hook you can use it for the first couple of minutes. After that, I recommend you carry on kneading by hand onto a lightly floured surface. This is the only way to rightly gauge the dough consistency and the need, perhaps, to add a little more water. Keep going for a good 15 minutes. It is pretty hard work but ever so rewarding. I much rather be doing this than going to the gym!
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6
Transfer the dough to a bowl, cover and let rise for 2 hours, after which, return it to the floured surface and knead again for a further 5 minutes. Shape the dough into 2 oblong loaves placed on top of a baking tray or into 2 loaf tins (i have tried both and I think the second solution works best although the final result might have less visual impact). Cover with oiled clingfilm and let it rise for 1 more hour.
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7
Meanwhile preheat the oven to 220Cu00b0. Sprinkle some flour on top of the loaves and score them lengthwise. Bake for 45 minutes. Do not worry if the crust turns dark: it is in the nature of this bread. Allow to cool before slicing (if you manage!!!).
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8
If wrapped inside a cloth, this bread will last for up to a week.
