Whole Wheat Sourdough Crusty Loaf

Traditional sourdough crusty bread you know and love, with an added wheat depth of flavor.

This whole wheat sourdough crusty loaf boasts complex flavor, but has just simple ingredients. It has been a slow process to get my kids on the sourdough road. Slowly, with mostly sweet treats, I have them hooked. There is something special about a homemade loaf made with time and attention, no matter the ingredients.

Whole wheat bread is not something that my littles would request, but we have truly enjoyed this recipe. Same simple ingredients like my No-Knead Crusty Loaf, but great whole wheat flavor. The kind of warm loaf that oozes comfort. A loaf that you and your family are sure to love.

What is Sourdough Bread?

Sourdough is first, a mixture of fermented water and flour which contains helpful yeasts and bacteria. It is used as a leavening agent to make baked goods rise. It is regularly maintained with “feedings” to not only leaven, but add flavor.

The benefits of sourdough are a bonus to that wonderful tangy flavor. Sourdough, being a long-fermented bread, is more nutritious and healthier than regular white or whole-wheat bread. It also is easier for your body to digest and contains less gluten. You can read my post All Things Sourdough Starter to read more about the specific benefits of eating sourdough bread. This post will also help you to begin making your starter.

Tools

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Large bowl

Kitchen scale

Banneton bowl (optional)

Parchment paper

Dutch oven

Step-by-Step Instructions

Making the Dough

Feed your sourdough starter 4-12 hours before beginning. Make sure it is active and bubbly as well.

Combine flour and water with your hands and rest for 30 minutes to an hour. This process is called autolysing and is when the water hydrates the flour.

Add the sourdough starter and salt on top and begin to dimple and work in with your hands. Mix the dough for 5 minutes by hand.

Cover with plastic wrap or a wet tea towel and allow to rest for 30 minutes.

Stretch and Fold

This step will allow you to develop the gluten and help the dough to rise nicely.

Grab the edge of one side of the dough, while still in the bowl, and gently pull up and fold across to the opposite side. Turn the bowl a quarter and repeat. Then two more times until you have moved around the bowl. This is one round of stretch and folds. You can wet the tips of your fingers with water if the dough is too sticky.

You will now perform 3 more rounds of stretch and folds each about 30 minutes apart.

When finished with 4 rounds of stretch and folds, cover with plastic wrap or a wet tea towel and allow to bulk ferment until the dough has doubled. The timing of this could vary depending on the temperature of your kitchen, starter maturity, or even hydration. I allow mine to sit overnight or most day. Anywhere from 8-12 hours.

When it is finished you should see more bubbles all over the top of the dough. The dough should also be pulling away from the sides of your bowl and not feel sticky to the touch.

Shape and Ferment

Remove the dough from the bowl and begin to shape on a lightly floured surface.

Start by gently stretching the dough into a rough rectangle shape. Careful not to press on any of those precious bubbles.

Fold one side over to the middle, and then the opposite side to overlap. Then begin at the end of the dough closest to you and roll forward like you would roll up a cinnamon roll.

Then pinch together the sides so that there are no seams.

Place the dough in a floured banneton, or lined basket bowl top side down. Cover with a wet tea towel, and place in a grocery bag. Allow to cold-proof in the refrigerator for 2 or up to 24 hours. I like to have mine in the fridge overnight and bake the following day.

Bake

Preheat your oven, with the Dutch oven inside, to 475 degrees.
Right before baking, pull the dough out of the fridge and turn it out onto parchment paper. Dust the top with flour and score with a scoring razor, if desired. The flour will allow the scoring pattern to stick out a little more.

Using the parchment paper, lower the dough into the Dutch oven and replace the lid.

Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on.

After 30 minutes, remove the lid and continue to bake for 20 more minutes at 450 degrees.

Allow to cool completely before slicing open.

Bakers Schedule

8:00 am: Feed sourdough starter (allow 8-12 hours for starter to be ready),

4:00 pm: Mix dough to autolyse

5:00 pm: Add starter and salt, rest for 30 minutes

5:30-7:30 pm: Perform 4 sets of stretches and folds every 30 minutes. Cover and allow to bulk ferment overnight

8:00 am: Perform final pre-shape and put in banneton or bowl, cover with a wet tea towel or beeswax wrap, and refrigerate, 2-24 hours or more.

4:00 pm: Preheat oven, score, and bake. Allow to cool, and enjoy!

While this is just a sample schedule you can adjust the time to suit your schedule better. You will need to take into consideration the temperature of your kitchen which might vary the proofing/rising times. My kitchen is normally 70 degrees and my starter is ready sooner than the average time. In very warm environments your starter could be ready to use in as little as 4-6 hours.

Tips

– You will need an active and bubbly starter to have success getting your bread to rise. For sourdough starter instructions see my post here.
– A damp tea towel, beeswax wrap, and plastic wrap can all be used to cover the dough to prevent a hard layer from forming on the top of your dough.
– Dusting the top of your dough with rice flour can help with scoring visibility.
– Dust your banneton bowls with rice flour to prevent the dough from sticking to the bowl.
– Using a scale can be beneficial to ensure precise measurements. Measuring with a scale and in grams changed the bread-baking game for me. Better accuracy, and we said goodbye to all that sad dense bread.

I hope you enjoy making this whole wheat crusty loaf. Leave me a comment if you give it a try or have any questions. You can also follow along with our other baking and homemaking projects on the following socials:

Check out more of my sourdough recipes here:

Recipe

Prep Time: 2 hours Cook Time: 50 minutes Additional Time: 12 hours

Yields: 1 loaf Author: Elizabeth Loveday

Ingredients

350 grams water

250 grams of bread flour

250 grams whole wheat flour

100 grams sourdough starter (active)

10 grams of salt

Instructions

Making the Dough

Feed your sourdough starter 4-12 hours before beginning. Make sure it is active and bubbly as well.

1.Combine flour and water with your hands and rest for 30 minutes to an hour.

2. Add the sourdough starter and salt on top and begin to dimple and work in with your hands. Mix the dough for 5 minutes by hand.

3. Cover with plastic wrap or a wet tea towel and allow to rest for 30 minutes.

Stretch and Fold

4. Perform four sets of stretch and folds each thirty minutes apart. See the instructions above for more details.

5. Cover with plastic wrap or a wet tea towel and allow to bulk ferment until the dough has doubled.

Shape and Ferment

6. Remove the dough from the bowl and begin to shape on a lightly floured surface.

7. Start by gently stretching the dough into a rough rectangle shape.

8. Fold one side over to the middle, and then the opposite side to overlap. Then begin at the end of the dough closest to you and roll forward like you would roll up a cinnamon roll.

9. Then pinch together the sides so that there are no seams.

10. Finally, turn the dough over and begin forming it into a ball while turning and pulling it towards you.

11. Place the dough in a floured banneton or bowl top side down.

12. Cover with a wet tea towel, and place in a grocery bag. Allow to cold-proof in the refrigerator for 2-24 hours.

Bake

13. Preheat your oven, with the Dutch oven inside, to 475 degrees.

Right before baking, pull the dough out of the fridge and turn it out onto parchment.

Dust the top with flour and score.

Using the parchment paper, lower the dough into the Dutch oven and replace the lid.

14. Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on.

15. After 30 minutes, remove the lid and continue to bake for 20 more minutes at 450 degrees.

Allow to cool completely before slicing open.

Over Easy Homestead