A German seed bread that tastes just like from a German bakery – soft and fresh and with delicious seeds in it. This bread is my go-to bread in the evening. I love it so much, I can’t stop baking it and the whole family loves it, too.
How to Bake German Bread With Seeds / Vollkornbrot
There is not much to say about the bread other than that it is just wonderful and stays fresh for several days. I usually wrap my bread in a wax cloth and leave it on the counter. It has never developed mold this way and if it is a bit dry after a few days, I can either put the slices in the toaster or refresh the bread over some steam.
Oven Version and Breadmaker Version
I bake this bread in the breadmaker. With my current lack of time, I felt that this was the easiest way for me to get fresh bread on the table. The breadmaker was a gift from my husband years ago and I used it for a while. But then I preferred to make my bread in the oven. Now I’m back to the breadmaker and I must say that this recipe turns out better in it than in the oven. However, not everyone has a breadmaker and in this post, I provide both methods in two recipe blocks further below.
The Flour Choice
The flour in this recipe is something that can’t be switched out too much. You can replace the spelt flour with something else but not the rye and wheat flour. I once used barley flour for spelt flour and it was a delicious bread but when I had run out of bread flour and used regular flour, the bread did not rise properly. Also, one day I used a bit more water in the breadmaker and it was not a good idea! Stick to my recipe as much as you can, be as precise as you can be when measuring, too. This said, I highly recommend using the metric recipe here because the conversion to US customary measures always needs some rounding and the measure of flour is less precise anyway.
A kitchen scale doesn’t cost much and is a good investment for German recipes.
Best German Seed Bread, Breadmaker Version
Equipment
Ingredients
- 500 ml Water
- 4 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 160 g Rye Flour dark or light
- 160 g Bread Flour
- 280 g Spelt Flour
- 11 g Yeast instant/dry
- 2 tsp Salt
- 20 g Pumpkin Seeds
- 50 g Sunflower Seeds
- 50 g Flax Seeds
Instructions
- For best result: Measure all ingredients accurately, preferrable with a scale and metric measurements.
- Fill the 500 ml Water into the breadmaker pan, then add the 4 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar.
- On top of that, add 160 g Rye Flour, 160 g Bread Flour, 280 g Spelt Flour.
- Create a little space in the center of the flour and fill it with 11 g Yeast.
- Do NOT add the salt and seeds, yet!
- Set the breadmaker to "Basic" and "Dark Crust" and press start.
- After some kneading, the breadmaker will signal that it is time to add ingredients, that's when you put in the seeds and salt.
- Let the breadmaker do its thing until it signals that it is done (3:45 h in my machine).
- Remove the bread from the pan and let it cool completely before cuting it.
Best German Seed Bread, OVEN Version
Equipment
Ingredients
- 500 ml Water luke warm
- 4 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 160 g Rye Flour dark or light
- 160 g Bread Flour
- 280 g Spelt Flour
- 11 g Yeast instant/dry
- 2 tsp Salt
- 20 g Pumpkin Seeds
- 50 g Sunflower Seeds
- 50 g Flax Seeds
Instructions
- For best result: Measure all ingredients accurately, preferrable with a scale and metric measurements.
- Fill the 500 ml Water into a large mixing bowl, then add the 4 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar.
- On top of that, add 160 g Rye Flour, 160 g Bread Flour, 280 g Spelt Flour.
- Create a little space in the center of the flour and fill it with 11 g Yeast.
- Do NOT add the salt and seeds, yet!
- Mix with a kneading attachment of a mixer or by hand for about 8 minutes, then add 50 g Flax Seeds, 20 g Pumpkin Seeds, 50 g Sunflower Seeds, 50 g Flax Seeds, knead for another two minutes.
- Cover the bowl and place at a warm area in the room to proof for about 1 hour until the dough has significantly increased in size.
- Give the dough a quick second knead and then fill it in a greased bread pan. Let proof again for about 30 minutes.
- Do not preheat the oven. Set it to 200°C / 390°F and place the bread inside the oven. Bake for 1 hour.Baking times might vary: Ovens can be different and it might take longer or shorter than 1 hour. Your bread is ready when you knock on the bottom and it sounds hollow. You would have to remove it from the pan to check it this way. Another way to check is measuring the temperature in the center with a thermometer. Poke into the center, the bread is ready if it has a temperature of 98 °C or 208°F.
Would this be considered a 2 lb. loaf for bread makers that include that in the settings?
I love the fact that you offer metric/ by weight recipes. It is so much easier to follow.
Yes, my breadmaker is for 2 lbs. I believe it would also fit in 1.5 lbs but am not entirely sure.
Turned out wonderful
Replaced 50% of the spelt flour with King Arthur organic whole wheat and added finely ground German bread spice
That sounds great and I think this is the fastest someone has ever made one of my recipes after publishing 😆