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Whole Grain Sourdough Bread

Alexandra Breckweg
Whole Grain Sourdough Bread

I’ve been experimenting a lot with my sourdough starter “Sophie” lately. So far, all my breads have turned out really well, including this Whole Grain Sourdough Bread. That makes me very happy. Before I started working with homemade sourdough, I had a lot of respect for it and didn’t think it would work so well.

At the moment, I’m trying out different techniques. However, the basic principle is always the same: levain – autolyse – bulk fermentation – shaping the dough – proofing stage – baking. The timing for adding the levain to the main dough, the way of folding the dough and also the proofing method – room temperature or fridge can be modified. For my Basic Sourdough Bread and my Country Rye Sourdough Bread I adjusted a few steps.

This whole grain sourdough bread is packed with flavors and it is really worth the effort. Although by now after baking a bunch of loaves I can say that the actual amount of work is not that high, you rather spend a lot of time waiting. So start in the morning if you want to enjoy a fresh bread in the evening. Or better said, already the night before to feed your sourdough starter so that it is active and ready to use the next day.

Alternatively, if you do not want to bake the bread right away and it fits your schedule better, place the dough in the fridge overnight to let it proof and bake it the next morning.

Tools & Equipment

Recipe Tips

Sourdough Starter: You will need an active starter for this recipe. I took my sourdough starter out of the fridge the night before and fed it. Then let it sit at room temperature overnight so it has plenty of time to double in size.

Room Temperature: The best temperature for the dough is about 25-27°C/77-80°F. If your room temperature is lower, plan more time for bulk fermentation, mix the dough with warmer water or increase the temperature to speed up fermentation. To do this, you can place the container in a turned-off oven with the control light on.

Bulk Fermentation: A well-developed dough will pull away from the sides of the bowl when you turn it and the volume increases by 20-30%. More air bubbles develop along the sides of the bowl. These are all signs that the dough is ready for the next step. If the dough seems to develop slowly, extend the fermentation time. Keep in mind that time is only an indicator, pay more attention to the dough itself to decide whether the bulk fermentation is done.

Ingredients for Whole Grain Sourdough Bread

Step by Step Guide – How to Make Whole Grain Sourdough Bread

Make the Levain

Add the active sourdough starter, water and both flours to a jar and stir to combine. Let the levain sit in a warm place, preferably at 25-27°C/77-80°F, until doubled/tripled in size, for about 4 hours.

Make the Main Dough/Autolyse

Place the whole wheat flour, spelt flour, bread flour and warm water in a large bowl and stir until combined. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for about 60 minutes.

Add the levain to the bowl with the dough and knead with your hands for about 3-4 minutes. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes. Add the salt and knead for another 3-4 minutes until the dough has a smooth surface. The dough will be sticky. 

Bulk Fermentation

Place the dough in a deep ceramic dish to make it easier to handle later. Cover and let the dough sit at 25-27°C/77-80°F for about 60 minutes. Then do the first coil fold.

With wet hands, slide both hands under the dough in the center. Slowly lift the dough up and toward you until it releases from the bowl. Fold the dough. Turn the bowl 180° and do the other side. Turn the bowl 90° and repeat the process (fold all 4 sides).

Repeat folding every hour for the first 3-4 hours of fermentation. Leave the dough untouched for the rest of the time. Total proofing time 4-6 hours at 25-27°C/77-80°F.

Shaping the Dough

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Stretch and fold the right side of the dough onto itself, then the left. Then roll it down towards you. Work the dough into a round shape. At the end of shaping, the dough should have a firm, smooth outer surface.

Proofing Stage

Dust a 23cm/9-inch banneton with rice flour. Carefully turn the dough over and lift it into the prepared banneton. There are 2 options at this point:

  1. Let the dough rise at room temperature (25-27°C/77-80°F) for about 3-4 hours before baking. This is called the final rise; after 2 hours the loaf will have a mild flavor. 
  2. If you do not want to bake immediately, delay the process by placing the dough in the fridge for up to 12 hours. After 8-12 hours, the dough will develop a more complex and sour taste.

Baking

Preheat the oven to 260°C/500°F and place the dutch oven with lid inside. Dust the top of the loaf with rice flour and carefully invert it from the banneton onto a sheet of parchment. Score the loaf to ensure it can fully develop in the oven.

When the oven reaches 260°C/500°F, carefully remove the heated dutch oven from the oven. Be very careful because it is very hot and can cause severe burns. Place the loaf with the parchment in the dutch oven and cover with the lid. Return to the oven and reduce the temperature to 230°C/450°F. Bake for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, remove the lid. The color of the crust should be pale and shiny. Continue baking until the crust has a deep caramel color, for about 20-25 minutes. It is done when the core temperature reaches about 99°C/210°F.

Remove from the oven and carefully lift the bread out of the dutch oven by holding the ends of the parchment. Let it cool on a wire rack. The bread should feel light to the touch and make a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom.

Storing and Freezing Instructions

Storage: Paper bags or kitchen towels are great to protect bread from drying out too much. Keep your bread at room temperature for 3-5 days. Do not store bread in the fridge. If you do, it will get stale faster compared to keeping it at room temperature.

Freezing Instructions: This is a good option for longer storage. Let the bread cool completely and either freeze the whole loaf or slices of bread in a ziplock bag for up to 3 months.

My Summary for Whole Grain Sourdough Bread

Difficulty: Intermediate.
Taste: This whole grain sourdough bread has a bit of a sour taste, but not too overpowering. I love the flavor.
Texture: This bread has a crispy crust with a chewy crumb and nice holes which are more or less evenly distributed.
Time: Feed your sourdough starter the night before. For levain and autolyse you need about 4 hours, the bulk fermentation took me 5 hours (it depends on the temperature in your environment, in my kitchen it was about 25°C/77°F). Shaping the dough is done in 10 minutes and for the final proofing I placed the loaf in the fridge overnight (2-4 hours at room temperature is works as well). Baking the loaf takes 40 minutes or so.

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Whole Grain Sourdough Bread

Rating: 5.0/5
( 2 voted )
Serves: 1 Prep Time: Cooking Time: Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

For the Levain

  • 15g active sourdough starter, fed 10-12 hours prior
  • 30g water, 25-27°C/77-80°F
  • 15g all-purpose flour (550)
  • 15g whole wheat flour

For the Main Dough

  • 150g whole wheat flour - 43%
  • 100g whole grain spelt flour - 29%
  • 100g bread flour - 29%
  • 270g water, 25-27°C/77-80°F - 77% hydration
  • 70g levain - 20%
  • 7g salt - 2%

Other

  • Rice flour for dusting the banneton

Instructions

Make the Levain

  1. Add the active sourdough starter, water and both flours to a medium jar and stir well to combine. Seal the jar with a lid or plastic.
  2. Let the levain rise in a warm place, preferably at 25-27°C/77-80°F, until doubled/tripled in size, for about 5 hours. 

Make the Main Dough/Autolyse

  1. Place the whole wheat flour, spelt flour, bread flour and warm water in a large bowl and stir with a silicone spatula until combined. 
  2. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for about 60 minutes.
  3. Take 70g of the levain and add it to the bowl with the dough. Mix with your hands for about 3-4 minutes. 
  4. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes.
  5. Add the salt and knead for another 3-4 minutes until the dough has a smooth surface. The dough will be quite sticky. 

Bulk Fermentation

  1. Place the dough in a deep ceramic or glass dish to make it easier to handle later. Cover it and let the dough sit at 25-27°C/77-80°F for about 60 minutes.
  2. Then do the first coil fold. With wet hands, slide both hands under the dough in the center. Slowly lift the dough up and toward you until it releases from the bowl. Fold the dough under itself by lowering your hands. Turn the bowl 180° and do the other side. Turn the bowl 90° and repeat the process (fold all 4 sides).
  3. Repeat folding every hour for the first 3-4 hours of fermentation. Leave the dough untouched for the rest of the time. Total proofing time 4-6 hours at 25-27°C/77-80°F.

Shaping the Dough

  1. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. 
  2. Stretch and fold the right side of the dough onto itself, then the left. Then roll it down towards you. 
  3. Work the dough into a round shape using the bench scraper and your hand. At the end of shaping, the dough should have a firm, smooth outer surface. You want to build up a strong tension with as few movements as possible.

Proofing Stage

  1. Dust a 23cm/9-inch banneton with rice flour.
  2. Carefully turn the dough over and lift it, seam side up, into the prepared banneton. 
  3. There are two options at this point:
    1. You can let the dough rise at room temperature (25-27°C/77-80°F) for about 3-4 hours before baking. This is called the final rise; after 2 hours the loaves will have a mild flavor. 
    2. If you do not want to bake immediately, you can delay the process by placing the dough in the fridge for up to 12 hours. The cool environment slows down the fermentation, but does not stop it. After 8-12 hours, the dough will develop a more complex and slightly sour taste.

Baking

  1. Preheat the oven to 260°C/500°F about 30 minutes before baking and place the dutch oven with lid inside. 
  2. Dust the top of the loaf with rice flour and carefully invert it from the banneton onto a sheet of parchment paper.
  3. Score the loaf to ensure it can fully develop in the oven. A loaf that is not scored will not rise properly and will often burst open on the sides. The angle, number, and pattern of the scoring will affect how the loaf rises in the oven and will determine the final appearance of the bread.
  4. When the oven reaches 260°C/500°F, carefully remove the heated dutch oven from the oven. Be very careful because the dutch oven is very hot and can cause severe burns. 
  5. Place the loaf with the parchment paper in the dutch oven and cover with the lid.
  6. Return the dutch oven to the oven and reduce the temperature to 230°C/450°F. 
  7. Bake the loaf on the bottom rack for 20 minutes.
  8. After 20 minutes, remove the lid. A cloud of steam will be released. The color of the crust should be pale and shiny. This is a sign of a well steamed bread. 
  9. Continue baking until the crust is a deep caramel color, for about 20-25 minutes. If you want a crispy crust that stays crunchy, continue baking until the loaf has a golden brown color. It is done when the core temperature reaches 95°C/200°F.
  10. Remove from the oven and carefully lift the bread out of the dutch oven by holding the ends of the parchment.
  11. Let the bread cool on a wire rack. The bread should feel light to the touch and make a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom.
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