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Villa Lage Kitchen: Our Seeded Bread Recipe

There are few things as comforting as the scent of warm bread drifting through the house.

There are few things as comforting as the scent of warm bread drifting through the house.

At Villa Lage, this simple ritual has become one of the quiet luxuries our guests love most. Our chef prepares it often, and the aroma fills the villa with that unmistakable feeling of home. Here we share our seeded loaf recipe, a favourite to enjoy warm, sliced on the kitchen counter, ideally accompanied by a glass of our exclusive wine from Quinta de Santar, Dão.

Villa Lage Seeded Bread – English Recipe


Ingredients:

  • 400 g T65 wheat flour (or strong white bread flour)

  • 1 g dry yeast

  • 7 g salt

  • 280 g warm water

  • 40 g mixed seeds (golden flax, chia, sunflower, pumpkin)


Quick overview: Toast and hydrate the seeds. Mix with flour, water, yeast and salt. Let the dough rest and perform several folds. Ferment slowly, shape gently, roll in seeds, proof in a banneton, and bake in a preheated cast-iron pot at high heat for a crusty, aromatic loaf.

Method:

  1. Toast the seeds in a dry pan over medium heat for about 5 minutes until they start to pop. Add 40 g of water and let them soak for 30 minutes.

  2. Sift the flour into a bowl, keeping yeast and salt on opposite sides.

  3. Add the hydrated seeds, then the warm water, and mix by hand until the dough comes together. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.

  4. Perform three rounds of stretch-and-folds, every 30 minutes (1h30 total).

  5. After the final fold, ferment for 2h30.

  6. Turn the dough onto a floured counter, shape into a ball, and rest 15 minutes.

  7. Optional: perform one or two extra folds (reducing final fermentation time accordingly).

  8. Flatten the dough, fold it like a book, roll it tightly and place seam-side up in a floured banneton. Lightly mist the dough with water and roll its surface in seeds. Proof for 2 hours.

  9. Preheat the oven to 250ºC with a cast-iron pot inside for 30 minutes.

  10. Turn the dough onto baking paper, score the top, place it carefully into the hot pot, cover and bake for 20 minutes..

  11. Uncover and bake for another 20 minutes.

  12. Cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing.


If there is anything better than warm bread… It's warm bread with butter.

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