Saturday Bake-Along: Poppy Seed Loaf, Two Versions, One Community 🌾

⭐

🔥

Saturday we bake. Here’s everything you need.

I just dropped a new video walking through the first coil fold, with toasted black sesame seeds going into mine instead of poppy. The same technique applies whether you’re using poppy, sesame, or any other seed. Toast them first, fold them in at the first coil, let the dough do the rest.

▶️ Watch: The First Coil Fold (Plus Why You Toast Your Seeds)

https://youtu.be/Zz16BORkOFE?si=p04K3QENO6JlGkRh

(replace with your actual YouTube URL once it’s live)

A quick rundown of what the video covers:

Toasting your seeds turns them from mild and dusty into nutty, sweet, and complex. Low and slow in a dry skillet, two to three minutes, stirring constantly.

Cool completely before they go in the dough.

The first coil fold is gentle. Wet hands. Lift from the middle, let the bottom unfurl, rotate 90 degrees, repeat. The coil builds structure without popping the bubbles fermentation has already built.

Sprinkle the seeds across the top before you fold and they’ll laminate through the dough instead of getting crushed.

Bob’s your uncle.

Saturday’s Recipes:

🥖 Sourdough version (fermentolyse, 80% hydration):

https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/poppy-seed-sourdough-loaf

🥖 Yeasted version (Friday night poolish, Saturday bake):

https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/poppy-seed-yeasted-loaf

Pick your path. Sourdough or yeasted, poppy or black sesame or split. There’s no wrong answer.

The schedule for Saturday:

I’ll be in the kitchen and in the thread all day. Post your progress, ask your questions, share your wins and your struggles. This community gets stronger every Saturday because of how you all show up for each other.

If you’ve been thinking about jumping in but haven’t yet, this is the bake to start with. Both recipes have full timing guides, troubleshooting FAQs, and step-by-step phases in the Recipe Pantry. The video covers the trickiest part. You’ve got everything you need.

Drop a 🌾 in the comments and tell me which version you’re baking. Let’s see how many of us are in.

Perfection is not required. Progress is.

Henry ⭐🔥

14 comments