I came across a recipe for wholewheat sourdough bread in Bake From Scratch magazine (July/August 2023). There was a beautiful peach pie on the cover, and having recently moved to the South, I knew I had to bake a peach pie. I still haven't baked a peach pie, but I have this bread a few time and all with delicious results. Tim and I managed to engulf almost an entire loaf the first time I baked it. We had bread and butter for dinner that night. I hope you find this bread as enjoyable.
You can also make an all white version, by simply replacing the whole wheat flour with white (bread) flour. The bread is softer when using all white flour.
You do not need to weigh your ingredients, this is bread. A little more a little less, it isn't going to hurt. I am going to write the recipe out twice, once in cups and the other in grams. I highly recommend a bread whisk for this recipe. it will save you a lot of headaches. This is also a soft dough. It is best done in a loaf pan but other shapes are possible, just beware that it will spread.
1 1/2 cup bread flour
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/4 cup warm water (80-90 degrees)
1/2 cup sourdough starter
2 tablespoons olive oil
All purpose flour for dusting
1. In a large bowl whisk together flours and salt. Add remaining ingredients and stir together until a shaggy dough forms and no dry spots remain.
2. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free location for 4 hours, folding dough every hour. (To fold dough, carefully pull and stretch one side and then fold it over on itself. Repeat on all 4 sides.) After the final fold, cover and refrigerate dough for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.
3. Lightly dust work surface with four. Turn dough out onto surface and cover. Let stand for 20 minutes. Pat dough into a 9 X 7 rectangle, with the short side facing you. Fold bottom third of dough up; starting at the short side where the dough is folded, roll up dough into a log. Pull log, seam side down, towards you to create tension on surface.
4. Lightly oil a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Place dough, seam side down, in pan. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size and risen just above sides of pan 2 1/2-3 hours.
5. Preheat over to 450 degrees.
6. Lightly dust top of dough with AP flour. Place in oven and immediately reduce temperature to 425.
7. Bake until golden and an instant read thermometer inserted in center reads 190, about 30 minutes, covering with foil during final 10 minutes of asking to prevent excess browning. Let cool in pan, on wire rack 15 minutes. Remove from pan, and let cool completely wire racks. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week. Wait at least 1 hour before slicing.
Whole Wheat Sourdough (in grams)
190 grams bread flour
195 grams whole wheat flour
7.5 grams kosher salt
300 grams warm water (80-90 degrees)
113 grams sourdough starter
28 grams olive oil
All purpose flour for dusting
1. In a large bowl whisk together flours and salt. Add remaining ingredients and stir together until a shaggy dough forms and no dry spots remain.
2. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free location for 4 hours, folding dough every hour. (To fold dough, carefully pull and stretch one side and then fold it over on itself. React on all 4 sides.) After the final fold, cover and refrigerate dough for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.
3. Lightly dust work surface with four. Turn dough out onto surface and cover. Let stand for 20 minutes. Pat into a 9 X 7 rectangle, with the short side facing you. Fold bottom third of dough up; starting at the short side where the dough is folded, roll up dough into a log. Pull log, seam side down, towards you to create tension on surface.
4. Lightly oil a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Place dough, seam side down, in pan. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size and risen just above sides of pan 2 1/2-3 hours.
5. Preheat over to 450 degrees.
6. Lightly dust top of dough with AP flour. Place in oven and immediately reduce temperature to 425.
7. Bake until golden and an instant read thermometer inserted in center reads 190, about 30 minutes, covering with foil during final 10 minutes of asking to prevent excess browning. Let cool in pan, on wire rack 15 minutes. Remove from pan, and let cool completely wire racks. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week. Wait at least 1 hour before slicing.
