The looming deadline of a blog event, hosted by my blogging buddy Anna Antonia, gave me the much needed kick in the  energy to overcome my dog days’ laziness and write a new post.

What to do with stale bread? For me a no-brainer: baguette or brioche leftovers usually end up as bread pudding. But for sourdough or other hearty breads there’s only one option: grind, toast, and re-bake!

My favorite baker in Hamburg, Jochen Gaues, recycles old bread in many of his baked goods (like Sunflower Seed Rolls.)

Unfortunately, his (visually gorgeous) baking book “Brot” is so sloppily edited that only experienced bakers are able to figure out how to work with sparse instructions and missing ingredients.

One of his breads was the inspiration for my Nice-Twice Sunflower Seed Bread.

What makes a dough with a larger amount of old bread (here more than 13%) so special? Not two loaves are the same, because leftovers of several different (and differently seasoned) breads go into my crumb collection.

With the Mockmill I just brought home from the Kneading Conference, I’m finally able to achieve finer and coarser grinds – something my old Nutrimill couldn’t do. (No, I don’t get any goodies from them!)

If you don’t own a mill and your rye meal is drier, you might have to add a little more water to the dough.

I was very curious how my improvised sunflower seed bread would turn out. We were absolutely delighted!

It had an excellent taste – slightly sweetish and hearty, with a thin, crispy crust. One bite – and it was admitted to my “Bread Hall of Fame”.

NICE-TWICE SUNFLOWER SEED BREAD (inspired by Jochen Gaues)

STARTER
40 g rye mother starter (100% hydration)
30 g whole rye flour
50 g whole wheat
80 g water (lukewarm)

SOAKER
167 g cracked or coarse ground rye
67 g old bread, ground and toasted
234 g water

FINAL DOUGH
75 g water
200 g starter (all)
2.8 g instant yeast
468 g soaker (all)
83 g whole wheat flour
83 g whole rye flour
9 g salt
35 g sunflower seeds, toasted

sunflower seeds, for sprinkling

DAY 1
In small bowl, mix all starter ingredients. Cover, and leave for 8-12 hours at room temperature (overnight).

Stir together all soaker ingredients in another small bowl. Cover, and let sit at room temperature overnight.

DAY 2
In mixer bowl, mix all dough ingredients for 6 minutes on low speed (paddle works here better than kneading hook ). Let dough rest for 5 minutes, then mix for 1 more minute. (Dough will be very soft and sticky.)

Transfer dough to a greased loaf pan. Smooth surface using wet rubber spatula or wet hands, taking care to fill corners. Sprinkle loaf with sunflower seeds, then, with wet spatula or wet hands, press seeds slightly into dough.

Cover pan with aluminum foil, and let dough rest for 30 – 45 minutes (it will not visibly rise.)

Preheat oven to 450ºF/230ºC (no steaming device necessary.)

Bake bread, with foil, for 15 minutes, remove foil, reduce oven temperature to 425ºF/220ºC, and bake for another 35-40 minutes, until it is golden brown and registers at least 200°F/93ºC on an instant thermometer.

Turn loaf out onto wire rack. Let it cool completely before slicing.

If you have the discipline to wait that long – I usually don’t!