Whole Wheat Sourdough

This Whole Wheat sourdough is full of flavor and perfect for any sandwich or just with salty butter! It can also be made into a Lemon Rosemary Sourdough by adding lemon zest and freshly chopped rosemary!

How do I make sourdough starter?

Ok there are a bunch of different methods for making starter but I follow the Tartine Bakery method which is 1 part starter, 1 part water, 1 part flour (but a 50/50 split of whole wheat flour and bread or all purpose flour). Of course on the first day it will just be flour and water but after that, save about 40 g starter, feed with 40 g room temperature water, and 20 g whole wheat flour, 20 g bread flour. To get a strong starter, you need to feed it once a day everyday for at least 2 weeks.

How to make Lemon Rosemary Sourdough?

To make a Lemon Rosemary Sourdough, add in the zest of two lemons and 5 grams of chopped fresh rosemary (stalks removed) into the dough when mixing.

Whole Wheat Sourdough timeline:

• Day before: Early morning, mix “pre dough”. Early afternoon, mix dough, stretch and fold. Evening, shape the dough before bed.
• Morning of: Bake

Additional Recipes to try:

• Rye Sourdough
• Pretzel Bread
• Sourdough Bagels

Tips for making Whole Wheat sourdough

• Sourdough is all about visual clues so know that it may take some practice and don’t be too hard on yourself.
• Be patient and know that if your room is warm the process will go faster and if it’s cold it will go slower but create more flavor.
• The dough will be sticky when you first mix it, don’t stress, it will smooth out and come together as it rests.
• A mix of rice flour and all purpose flour will keep the dough from sticking to the brotform or towel used to line a bowl.
• When shaping the dough, you want to create a smooth taught surface. Once achieved, don’t keep pulling because it will tear.
• Make sure the oven is HOT before baking. This will give the bread its big spring and great crust.
• I’ve never added ice cubes and don’t find it necessary!
• Wait until the bread has cooled to slice it.
• If you will use up the bread within 4-5 days you can leave it in an airtight zip top bag at room temperature but any longer than that I recommend storing it in the fridge. Also if you’re just one persona and it takes a while to get through the loaf, cut it into slices, place in a freezer safe bag and freeze. Then remove one slice at a time as needed and toast to refresh.

Ingredients

• Bread Flour: I use King Arthur’s bread flour and find it works great for sourdough starter and all of my sourdough loaves.
• Whole Wheat Flour: Whole wheat flour gives the bread a bit more flavor.
• Sourdough Starter: You do need a well established sourdough starter for this recipe. A lot of people have one going so if you don’t have your own you can often buy it from friends or local bakeries!
• Fine Sea Salt: A little fine sea salt enhances the flavors of the bread.
• Water: Water is the liquid in the bread dough.
• Rosemary: If making a lemon rosemary loaf, you’ll want about 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary.
• Lemon Zest: If making the lemon rosemary version, you’ll want the zest of two lemons.

How to make Whole Wheat Sourdough

Morning Before

• Into a medium mixing bowl add in a heaping tablespoon of your sourdough starter. Then add in 100 grams of room temperature water and stir to combine.
• Pour in 50 grams of whole wheat flour and 50 grams of bread flour. Stir again until combined.
• Lightly cover, not airtight and leave to sit until early afternoon, it should get big and bubbly. To check if it is ready to use, fill a small bowl with water and spoon a tablespoon or so of the bubbly mixture into the water and see if it floats. If it floats it’s ready to use if it sinks, let it sit a bit longer.

Early afternoon mixing

• Into a big mixing bowl add in 100 grams of the bubbly pre dough and 350 grams room temperature water, stir to combine.
• Add in 300 grams bread flour, 200 grams whole wheat flour, 5 grams finely chopped fresh rosemary and the zest of two lemons. If you want to keep it a plain whole wheat simply leave out the lemon and rosemary.
• Use your hand to stir and knead the dough until all of the flour has been hydrated aka no dry bits remain.
• Cover the bowl with plastic or a lid and leave it to sit for 20 minutes.
• After 20 minutes, uncover and add in 50 grams more water and 10 grams fine sea salt. Knead again squishing the dough between your fingers. First it will break apart but it will start to come back together. It doesn’t need to be smooth at all just a cohesive dough. Recover and leave to sit out on the counter for 45 minutes.
• After 45 minutes it’s time to start stretching and folding the dough. Wet your hands, and scoop under the dough and lift from the center, stretching the dough up. Keep pulling until all the dough has lifted from the bowl, then gently lay it back down.
• Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat scooping under, pulling, and lifting the dough, then lay it back down.
• Cover the bowl again and leave to sit for 45 more minutes.
• Stretch and pull 3 more times always leaving it to rest for 45 minutes in between. *If your room or home is above 70/72 degrees, you can cut the time down to 30 minutes.

Evening Shaping

• Prep your brotform if needed or line a mixing bowl with a kitchen towel and dust generously with flour. If you have it I like to flour the towel or brotfrom with a mixture of 50% rice flour and 50% all purpose (or whole wheat or bread).
• After the last stretch and fold and 45 minute rest, check on the dough it should be smooth and still show some amount of line/crease from your last set of folds. If not, repeat the stretch and fold once more.
• When ready, wet your hands and tip the dough out onto your counter. Pat the dough into a 1″ thick circle. Working in a clockwise pattern, starting at 12 o’clock, take the edge of the round and pull it into the center of the dough. Press down. Then continue working your way around the circle, rotating the dough as needed until all edges have been brought into the middle.
• Flip the dough over and place the mixing bowl upside down over the dough. Let rest for 20 minutes.
• After 20 minutes have passed, lift the bowl from the dough. Dust the top with flour. Flip the round over. Pull the right edge of the dough to the right and then fold it over towards the left side and press the edge into the center. Do the same with the left side of the dough but pull left and fold towards the right, overlapping past the edge from the right.
• Repeat with the bottom edge bringing it to the center as well. Last, take the top edge, stretch up and pull over to cover all the other edges that have been brought to the center.
• Flip the round back over so that you have a smooth surface on top.
• Cup your hands around the dough at 10 and 2 o’clock, using the outer edges of your hands to drag and pull the round towards you on the counter. This will create tension on the top of the dough. If it is sliding too easily on the counter, wipe away any excess flour and then pull again. Rotate the dough about 90 degrees after each pull and repeat a total of 3-4 times.
• Then with your hands in the same cupping shape but at 9 and 3 o’clock rotate the dough clockwise so that the seam underneath twists close on the counter.
• Using a bench scraper if you have it, flip the dough over into your prepared brotform or lined bowl.
• Pinch together any seams that seem to be pulling apart and lightly dust with flour. Cover the dough with the fabric top or a towel. If time, leave it to sit out on the counter for about an hour.
• Place the whole thing in a plastic bag and put it in the fridge overnight.

Morning of – Bake

• Place a rack just below the center of the oven, place a dutch oven with the lid onto the rack. Preheat to 500 F. Use an oven thermometer because you want to make sure the oven hits 500 even with the dutch oven inside.
• Take the dough out of the fridge. Remove the plastic bag and leave it to sit on the counter while the oven heats up.
• Once the oven reaches 500 F, remove the fabric cover from the dough and flip it onto a large piece of parchment paper.
• Use a bread lame or blade to cut a slit into the top from one end to another. To get a traditional ear, cut at a 30-45 degree angle at a slight curve from the top edge to the bottom edge of the dough.
• Carefully take the dutch oven out of the oven. It will be VERY hot so be careful!
• Pick the bread up using the edges of the parchment paper and carefully lower it into the dutch oven.
• Place the lid back on top and put it in the oven. Turn the temperature down to 450 F and bake for 25 minutes.
• After 25 minutes have passed, remove the lid and bake for another 20 minutes until deeply golden brown. (If you’re new to baking bread, don’t get stressed, it should get dark).
• Remove the pot from the oven and carefully lift or tip the bread out. Place it on a wire rack to cool for at least 2 hours (if you can). Fyi it does mess with the inner structure if you cut into the middle before it’s fully cooled.

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