Baking A Poppy Seed Wheel Using A Sourdough Starter

Some of my new friends here in Namaqualand called up to invite me to spend the day with them in Namaqua National Park. They then suggested we pack a light picnic to take along for the day. Who am I to refuse such an offer? Not this girl! I immediately accepted the invite and then started planning what I could take along for the picnic. Home-baked bread seemed like just the thing. As I did not want us to struggle with slicing bread, I decided the best idea would be to bake several buns in the form of a wheel, making it easy to carry with us. To make it a little more interesting, I added poppy seeds and buttermilk. I use a sourdough starter as raising agent and to add flavour. You can read all about this in a blog I published previously: Making a Sourdough Starter. In today's blog I show you how to bake a Poppy Seed Wheel.

Add the dry ingredients to a medium sized mixing bowl: 1 cup (250 ml) brown bread flour, 2 cups (500 ml) cake flour, 100 ml poppy seeds, 1 tablespoon (12,5 ml) each salt and sugar.
Option: If you are pressed for time, add half a packet of Instant Dry Yeast to the dry ingredients to speed up the raising time.

Mix the dry ingredients well.

Add a cup (250 ml) sourdough starter, 1/2 cup (125 ml) buttermilk, 1 egg and 125 g (125 ml) melted butter/margarine.

Bring the dough together.

Spray a round baking tin with non-stick spray and lightly flour the bottom of the tin. Lightly flour your working surface as well.

Knead the dough into a soft ball resembling an elastic ball.

Roll the dough out into a worm.

Cut into 8 equal pieces.

Roll into small balls.

Put one ball in the center of the baking dish and arrange the remaining 7 around it.

Cover with plastic and allow to rise in a warm dry place.

Once risen, preheat your oven to 200 °C.

Brush the top of the dough with egg yolk.

Sprinkle with more poppy seeds.

Bake for 40-50 minutes. It is ready when the bread starts to pull away from the sides of the dish.

Turn the bread out. When you knock the bread, you should hear a hollow sound, indicating it is baked through.

Tear the buns off and enjoy with butter and cold meats.

Marietjie Uys (Miekie) is a published author. You can buy my books here:
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