This bread is dense and hearty, as well as incredibly flavorful and satisfying. It’s quite wonderful and is named after my home state of Kansas with wheat flour, malted wheat flakes, and sunflower seeds.
Gather your ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table.
Prepare the Soaker
Begin the recipe by combining malted wheat flakes and boiling water in a medium bowl. Stir together and allow to set for 20-25 minutes until cool.
Make the Sourdough Bread
In a large mixing bowl, combine the active (or fed) sourdough starter, warm water, honey, olive oil, artisan sea salt, whole-grain bread improver, and instant yeast. Mix together.
Add in the prepared malted wheat flakes, sunflower kernels, whole wheat flour, and 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour. Mix with a kneading hook until the dough comes together. Add in remaining all-purpose flour and knead until the dough is supple.
Place in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise until double 1.5-2 hours. Gently deflate and shape dough into a large round ball.
When shaping the dough, smooth and stretch the dough coming together at the base of the ball. Do this several times and then pinch the ends.
Place the ball on a piece of parchment paper or a silicone bread sling and then transfer the sling to a large cast iron Dutch oven. Cover with a lid and allow the loaf to rise until puffy, 1-2 hours.
Bake the Bread
Toward the end of the rising time, preheat oven to 450F degrees, allowing the oven to heat for 40-50 minutes.
Just before baking, score the bread using a sharp knife or bread lame. Brush the loaf with an egg wash made from 1 egg + 2 tablespoons water. Generously sprinkle Everything Bagel Topping over the loaf.
Cover with the lid and bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until the bread is a deep golden brown, about 7-10 minutes.
Transfer loaf with bread sling onto a wire cooling rack. Makes 1 large loaf.