There’s nothing quite like the aroma of freshly baked sourdough bread filling your kitchen – the golden crust crackling as it cools, the tangy scent of fermentation, and the satisfaction of slicing into a loaf you made with your own hands.
This Whole Wheat & Spelt Sourdough Bread is one of those recipes that brings together simplicity, nutrition, and incredible flavor in every slice. Made with a combination of whole wheat flour and spelt flour, it delivers a deep, earthy taste, a hearty but tender crumb, and a beautifully blistered crust.
Even better, this recipe makes good use of your sourdough discard, turning something many bakers throw away into the foundation for a nourishing, rustic loaf. With a flexible timeline and straightforward technique, it’s approachable enough for sourdough beginners, yet rewarding enough to keep seasoned bakers coming back to it.
Why Spelt and Whole Wheat?
Whole wheat flour is rich in fiber, minerals, and a slightly sweet, nutty flavor. It adds depth to the dough, a beautiful darker crumb, and extra nutrition without making the loaf too dense.
Spelt flour, one of the oldest cultivated grains, offers a mild, slightly sweet and earthy taste. It’s easier to digest for some people and has a softer gluten structure, which gives the bread a tender, open crumb when used in combination with stronger flours.
Together, these flours create a loaf that’s not just wholesome and flavorful, but also pleasantly light in texture—perfect for everyday eating. If you’ve only ever baked with white flour, this is a wonderful way to explore whole grain baking without sacrificing the rise or softness of your bread.
Let’s walk through each step – from mixing to shaping to baking, so you can bake a loaf you’ll will love, every time.
Tools & Equipment
- Banneton
- Bench scraper
- Digital thermometer
- Dutch oven
- Kitchen towel or plastic wrap
- Large bowl with lid
- Parchment paper
- Silicone spatula
- Scoring knife or razor blade
- Wire rack
Recipe Tips
Don’t overwork the dough: Spelt has a more delicate gluten structure than wheat, so it benefits from a gentle touch. Use stretch-and-fold techniques during bulk fermentation instead of kneading to strengthen the dough gradually without tearing it.
Watch the fermentation, not the clock: With whole grain flours and a fridge-cold starter, fermentation may take longer than with refined flours or active levain. Pay attention to signs like increased volume, visible bubbles, and a slightly domed surface rather than relying strictly on time. Temperature and hydration make a big difference.
Cold-proof for flavor and convenience: After shaping, let your dough ferment overnight in the fridge. This long, cold proof not only improves flavor and texture but also makes the dough easier to handle and score before baking.
Preheat your dutch oven thoroughly: A blazing-hot dutch oven mimics a professional steam oven and gives your bread maximum oven spring. Preheat it for at least 30–45 minutes before baking to ensure your crust crisps up beautifully.
Score deeply for better oven spring: When scoring the bread before baking, make sure your cuts are deep enough to allow for good oven spring. Scoring helps control how the bread expands during baking, preventing it from bursting unevenly.
Ingredients You Need for this Whole Wheat & Spelt Sourdough Bread
- Whole wheat flour provides a robust, earthy flavor and a dense, nourishing crumb due to its high content of bran, germ, and fiber; it also brings essential minerals and contributes to a slightly lower gluten strength, which gives the bread a more rustic texture.
- Spelt flour enhances the dough with a mild sweetness and nutty aroma, and thanks to its more fragile gluten structure, it promotes a softer, more extensible dough that’s easier to shape and results in a tender interior.
- Lukewarm water ensures the proper activation of the natural yeasts and lactic acid bacteria, helps to dissolve the salt and starter, and supports enzymatic activity throughout fermentation by maintaining an ideal temperature for microbial growth.
- Sourdough discard even when cold from the fridge, introduces wild yeast and lactobacilli into the dough, setting off the fermentation process that leavens the bread and develops complex sourdough flavor over time, while also helping to acidify the dough for better keeping quality.
- Salt not only enhances the overall flavor of the bread, balancing the nuttiness of the flours and the tang of the sourdough, but also plays a key role in strengthening the gluten network.
Directions – How to Make Whole Wheat & Spelt Sourdough Bread
Autolyse
In a large bowl, combine 350g lukewarm water (about 25°C/77°F) with 100g of sourdough discard. Stir together using a silicone spatula. Add 250g whole wheat flour and 250g spelt flour. Mix with a silicone spatula until a shaggy dough forms.
Switch to your hands to fully incorporate the ingredients until no dry bits remain. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 60 minutes. This rest period helps the flour absorb water and starts gluten development naturally.
Sprinkle the salt evenly over the surface of the dough, then add the remaining lukewarm water to help dissolve the salt. Gently knead or use the stretch-and-fold method for 3–4 minutes, just until the salt is fully incorporated. The dough will feel sticky at this stage, this is completely normal. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Bulk Fermentation
Over the next two hours, perform four sets of stretch-and-folds every 30 minutes. Grab one edge of the dough, stretch it upward gently until you feel resistance, and fold it over itself. Rotate the bowl and repeat this 5–6 times. After each set, cover the bowl and let it rest. After the final fold, let the dough ferment undisturbed at room temperature (21–24°C/70–75°F) until it has risen by about 50% and feels light and airy. This may take 4–6 hours depending on room temperature.
Pre-Shape & Bench Rest
Lightly flour your work surface and turn the dough out onto it. Dust the top of the dough with flour, then flip it over using a bench scraper so the floured side is down.
Fold the dough over on itself so that the flour on the surface of the dough is sealed to the outside of the loaf. Use your hands and the bench scraper to gently shape the dough into a tight ball without overworking it. If the surface begins to crack, stop shaping and let it rest. Cover with a kitchen towel and let it rest for 20–30 minutes. If the dough spreads too much, you can reshape it once more to correct this.
Final Shaping
Lightly flour the top of the dough and slide your bench scraper underneath to lift it, maintaining its round shape. Flip the dough so the floured side is now down. Starting with the edge closest to you, stretch and fold it to the center. Repeat this folding from the sides.
Then the far edge, always folding toward the center. Once all sides have been folded in, gently pinch the dough together at the center to seal the seams.
Roll the dough away from you so the smooth underside becomes the top and all seams are tucked underneath. Cup your hands around the dough and gently pull it toward you to create surface tension. Let it rest for 1 minute.
Proofing the Dough
In a small bowl, mix equal parts whole wheat flour and spelt flour. Dust a banneton generously with this mixture to prevent sticking. Transfer the dough to the banneton with the smooth side down (seam side up). You have two options for the final rise:
- Cold proof (recommended): Cover and refrigerate for 8–12 hours. This slow fermentation develops deeper flavor and a more pronounced sourdough character.
- Room temperature proof: Let the dough rise in a warm spot (25–27°C/77–80°F) for 2–4 hours, until it passes the poke test (a gentle poke leaves a slow-to-spring-back indentation). This produces a milder flavor and lets you bake the same day.
Baking
About 30 minutes before baking, place a dutch oven with the lid on inside your oven and preheat to 260°C/500°F. If you cold-proofed your dough, take it out of the fridge just before baking, no need to bring it to room temperature. Dust the top of the loaf with flour.
Carefully invert it from the banneton onto a piece of parchment paper. Score the top of the dough with a razor blade, this allows the loaf to expand fully in the oven.
Remove the hot dutch oven from the oven, carefully place the dough inside, and cover with the lid. Lower the oven temperature to 230°C/450°F and bake on the lower rack for 20 minutes. Then, remove the lid.
Continue baking for another 20–25 minutes until the crust is a deep, rich brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Bake until the internal temperature reaches 95°C/200°F. Remove the bread from the dutch oven and transfer it to a wire rack. Let it cool completely, at least 1 hour before slicing.
Storing and Freezing Instructions for Whole Wheat & Spelt Sourdough Bread
Storing: Once the bread has cooled completely, store it at room temperature in a bread box, paper bag, or wrapped in a clean kitchen towel to maintain the crust’s texture. Avoid plastic bags unless you prefer a softer crust, as they trap moisture and make the crust chewy. The bread will stay fresh for up to 3 days.
Freezing: Let the bread cool completely, then either freeze it whole or slice it first for easier portioning. Wrap the loaf or slices tightly in plastic wrap or foil, and place them in a ziplock bag or airtight container. Properly stored, it will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months without losing much flavor or texture.
Thawing: Remove the bread from the freezer and let it come to room temperature while still wrapped to prevent condensation from softening the crust. For a crispier crust, reheat the whole loaf or slices in a preheated oven at 150°C/ 300°F for 10–15 minutes after thawing.
My Summary for Whole Wheat & Spelt Sourdough Bread
Taste: This bread has a wonderfully complex flavor that balances the earthy depth of whole wheat with the naturally sweet, nutty character of spelt. The sourdough discard adds a subtle tang without overpowering the grain flavors, making each bite well-rounded and satisfying. It’s a wholesome-tasting loaf with a rustic charm, perfect for both sweet and savory pairings.
Texture: In terms of texture, the crumb is moderately open and slightly chewy, thanks to the spelt’s softer gluten structure. It’s moist without being dense, and has a pleasant tenderness that contrasts beautifully with the crust. The crust itself bakes up caramelized, crisp, and crackly – especially if baked in a dutch oven and allowed to cool completely before slicing. The result is a loaf that feels hearty and artisanal, yet light enough for everyday use, from breakfast toast to hearty sandwiches.
How Long It Takes to Make Whole Wheat & Spelt Sourdough Bread: A Step-by-Step Timeline
- Mixing the dough: 10–15 minutes
- Autolyse (rest after mixing): 1 hour
- Adding salt & initial folds: 30 minutes
- Bulk fermentation (including stretch & folds): 4–6 hours
- Pre-shape & bench rest: 30 minutes
- Final shaping: 10–15 minutes
- Proofing (choose one):
– Cold proof: 8–12 hours in the fridge (recommended)
– Room temperature proof: 2–4 hours - Baking & cooling: 1.5–2 hours
Total Time Estimate: 14–16.5 hours
- Active prep time: 2–2.5 hours
- Inactive time: 12–14 hours
More Recipes to Try
- Ciambella Cake
- Lemon Sourdough Discard Loaf
- Sourdough Brioche Bread
- Spelt Sourdough Bread
- Whole Wheat Seeded Sourdough Bread
- Whole Wheat Sourdough Discard Bread