Sunflower Seed Bread
Honey and sunflower seeds flavor this delicious loaf of Sunflower Seed Bread; it’s worth every minute you have to wait for it to rise!
I am not the biggest bread baker; it’s never been my claim to fame. I could lament the time it takes but come on, we’ll all been stuck at home for months on end, time is not the issue. However, when I have a loaf of bread as good as this Sunflower Seed Bread, I think I have discovered why I don’t do it more often.
Because the truth is, with this bread, I could eat the whole thing. The same is true with another bread I’ve been making forever, this Billowy Off-White Bread.
Between the whole business of homemade and how delicious the loaves are, I lose all control. Clearly I like something with a bit of honey in it and both of these have that.
The breads are still unique to each other though; the Sunflower Seed Bread adds a bit of crunch and a hint of salt with that crunch. I’ve topped the Billowy Off-White Bread with Sunflower Seeds but the flavor is not even close, it’s the seeds in the bread that make all the difference.
I’ll make the Billowy Off-White Bread for sandwich bread but this one, this I save for breakfast. While I suppose you could enjoy this bread with any meal, for me I prefer it to start my day.
By itself topped with a hint of butter or going nuts with a favorite jam, I love it with a cup of coffee in the morning. Like every morning.
When Covid forced all of us home, I didn’t jump on the sourdough bread train…it’s never been my favorite.
But I did jump on the ‘have to find some yeast’ one and I’ve got enough yeast now to bake bread every day for a year. I won’t but I could and if I did, this one would be at the top of my list.
While this recipe is enough for one loaf, I often double it and make two at a time. Sure I could give one away, and I have, but I’ve also wrapped it well and frozen it for another time and it comes out beautifully. I should probably cut my loaf in half and freeze one portion…or not.
I don’t know about you but when I have something homemade that I love like this Sunflower Seed Bread in my kitchen bread box, I wake up in the morning and almost jump out of bed…somehow that whole loaf is gone before I remember I was going to save half of it. 🙂
I hope you’ll try it too; it’s an easy loaf to make but with a decidedly delicious flavor…you’ll see; you may yearn for it first thing in the morning like I do…more even than coffee!!
More Favorite Bread Recipes:
PIN IT! ‘Sunflower Seed Bread’
Sunflower Seed Bread with Honey
Ingredients
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup warm milk
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ Tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon canola or vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- ⅓ cup sunflower seeds
For Garnish
- 2 Tablespoons melted butter
- Sunflower seeds for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Combine honey, milk, sugar, salt, yeast, oil and egg in the bowl of a stand mixer.
Add in flour and sunflower seeds and mix just until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. - Pour dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise about 2 hours, or until doubled in size.
- Shape risen dough into an oval (batard shape) and place in a lightly greased 8 x 4-inch loaf pan. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30-40 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Brush the top of the loaf with melted butter and sprinkle sunflower seeds on top. Bake loaf for about 35 to 40 minutes. Allow to cool completely on cooling rack before slicing or serving.
I was super excited to try this recipe, but ended up mildly disappointed. I used all fresh ingredients and followed the recipe exactly as written. It rose in the bowl, it rose again during the 30-40 minute period in the pan. When it went into the oven, it never rose again. It is edible, but it looks like a brick with no “fluff” at all.
I am so sorry to hear that Christy…I wish I could help you understand what happened. Can’t blame the yeast because it was clearly active. I’ve made it several times without an issue so it is hard for me to discern why it’s been a problem for you.
Made this bread today, I only had bread flour so that is what I used, it turned out really good! Very easy to make.
Thanks so much for letting me know, I’m glad you enjoyed it. It’s one of my favorite breads!
Would it work with gluten free bread flour?
I attempted the sunflower bread recipe of yours looked very tasty but was very disappointed your instructions said to mix just until it starts to pull away from the bowl(how long does it take) and then to pour it into a lighted greased bowl and then cover and proof two hours or until doubled in size mine did not rise period it looked like the texture of thick cake batter very disappointed and I don’t think ur recipe had enough all purpose flour
I know you must be disappointed that it didn’t work but I’ve never had a problem with it. Are you sure that your yeast wasn’t outdated Marie?
My Aussie loves bread. This recipe gonna help this sunday for sure!
Was really excited to make this, but the end result was not a good one. My loaf was extremely salty and I am wondering if the 1 1/2 TB salt called for in the recipe might be incorrect. It sounded like too much, but
I went on following the recipe. The dough was very thick and did not rise as much as I expected. I had to scrape it into the pan and then spread it to the four corners. I have made many of your recipes and have always loved them, so I follow your site regularly. Can you tell me what I need to do differently?
Oh gosh Bev, I am so sorry for that. I hate to say it but I agree with you…although I can’t say for certain how much it should be either but I’m going to take a somewhat educated guess. This bread is a riff of sorts on another favorite, this Billowy off-white bread (/billowy-off-white-bread-honey-recipe/) and it calls for the same amount of yeast and similar amounts of other ingredients but ONLY 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Yegads Barb…talk about a typo!
I should make it again to be sure and I will but I also think reducing that salt dramatically will help both in taste and in texture; I have a feeling it interacted poorly with the yeast and is also responsible for a poor rise.
I am SO sorry…I take sure care to not let this happen, please forgive me!