This is a wonderfully flavoured bread with an extra crunch from pepitas. The addition of pumpkin seed flour & psyllium boost the levels of protein & fibre in the loaf.    

To make this bread as pictured above you will need a sourdough starter and either a banneton (sourdough basket) or a small serving bowl/large pasta bowl. Visit Sourdough Loaf with Pumpkin Seed Flour if you would like to make a similar bread in a tin. You can read a little about converting wheat/rye based sourdough starters here. 

This recipe was designed specifically to be made with Bakers' Magic gluten free flour. The finished baked product will not be the same if you use another gluten free flour and you will need to adjust the recipe, particularly if the flour you're using contains rice flour. 

Sourdough Starter

50 g of previous days leaven

50 g Bakers' Magic Gluten free flour

100 g Lukewarm water

50 - 70 g Roasted sweet potato

The remaining 150 g of the previous days leaven I either use to make bread (below) or put it on the humus heap.

I'm not gentle when it comes to mixing the starter - I find the easiest way to mix is with a stab blender. It's quick & gets the lumps out.

Roasted sweet potato - I usually bake it whole for 1 - 1.5 hours (depending on the size). I blend it with a food processor & freeze it in ice cube trays. Two of my roasted sweet potato ice cubes weigh ~70 g. I've fed my culture on one ice cube of sweet potato however the culture is not as active. The water content of the roasted sweet potato will vary & may affect the final shape of your loaf.   

Ingredients

370 g Bakers' Magic Gluten free flour

30 g Pumpkin Seed Flour

12 g Psyllium husk powder

2 tsp Salt

150 g Sourdough starter (leaven)

50 - 100 g Roasted sweet potato

50 g Oil (I use Rice bran)

350 g Warm water

Extra oil for top of the dough

Water - the amount of water added will affect the shape of the loaf as will the method of mixing. 

 

Method

Prepare your banneton. If using a serving/pasta bowl you want to coat the inside of the bowl with flour to stop the dough from sticking to the bowl. Lightly oil or spray a fine mist of water on the inside of the bowl then sprinkle a few pepitas in the bowl & dust with sifted flour. Lightly spray another coat of oil or water then dust with sifted flour again.

Thermomix

Place all ingredients in the TM bowl.

Mix @ 37^o C for 2.5 mins at speed 4.

Ensure all ingredients are incorporated. If not, scrape down the sides and briefly mix again.

Stand Mixer

Mush the roast sweet potato with a fork if it hasn't already been processed.

Combine ingredients using the flat beater until a uniform consistency is achieved. You may need to stop the mixer and scrap down the sides. 

Both Methods

Transfer the dough to the proving basket or your prepared bowl(s). Let the dough proof for 3-5 hours in a warm moist environment. The actual time will depend on many factors particularly how active your sourdough starter (leaven) is.

Before putting it in the oven ensure that the dough has risen ~2X. 

Turn your oven on to 200^o C. 

Line a baking tray with baking paper. Gently tip the dough out of the basket/bowl onto the baking paper. Dust off the excess flour on the surface of the dough. Optional - using a sharp knife make a cross on the top of the dough. 

Bake at 200^o C for ~1 hr. The time will vary depending on the individual oven. If your oven has a hot spot turn the bread halfway through baking. Baking the bread for longer will result in a wonderfully crusty bread.  

Take out of the oven & cool the bread on a cooling rack. Ensure the bread is sufficiently cooled before cutting into it.

When the bread is more than a day old I refresh the bread by sprinkling it  with a little water & putting it back in the oven for ~20 mins at 180^o C.

Simply enjoy!