Whole Wheat Sourdough

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Kitchen scale (essential for bread baking)
• •Large mixing bowl
• •Bench scraper
• •Proofing basket (banneton) or towel-lined bowl
• •Dutch oven, 5-7 quart with lid
• •Razor blade or lame for scoring
• •Wire cooling rack
• •Instant-read thermometer (optional but helpful)

Instructions

1. 1

   Autolyse the flour

   Combine both flours and water in a large bowl. Mix with your hands until no dry flour remains. The dough will look shaggy and rough. This is correct. Cover with a damp towel and let rest for 45 minutes to 1 hour. During this time, the flour absorbs water fully and gluten begins developing without any work from you. The whole wheat needs this head start.

   Use your hands for mixing. A spoon creates pockets of dry flour that hide until you've already started kneading. Your fingers find every speck.
2. 2

   Add starter and salt

   Spread the sourdough starter over your autolysed dough. Sprinkle the salt on top. Using wet hands, squeeze the dough through your fingers repeatedly to incorporate. Fold the edges toward the center and squeeze again. Continue for 3-4 minutes until the starter is fully distributed. The dough will feel sticky and uneven. Don't add more flour.

   Keep a bowl of water nearby to wet your hands. Sticky dough becomes manageable when your hands stay wet.
3. 3

   Develop the gluten

   Perform stretch-and-fold sets every 30 minutes for the next 2-3 hours. For each set: wet your hand, grab one side of the dough, stretch it upward until you feel resistance, then fold it over the center. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat. Four stretches complete one set. The dough transforms with each set. It becomes smoother, more elastic, and starts holding its shape. By the final set, it should feel like a taut, responsive mass that jiggles when you shake the bowl.

4. 4

   Bulk fermentation

   After your final stretch-and-fold, cover the bowl and let the dough ferment at room temperature (70-75°F) for 4-6 hours total from when you added the starter. Watch the dough, not the clock. You're looking for a 50-75% increase in volume, a domed surface with small bubbles visible through the container, and edges that have pulled slightly from the sides of the bowl. The dough should smell tangy and yeasty, like good beer.

   In a warm kitchen (78°F+), bulk fermentation moves faster. In a cool kitchen (65°F), it slows considerably. Adjust your timeline accordingly. The dough tells you when it's ready.
5. 5

   Pre-shape the loaf

   Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Using a bench scraper or your hands, gently shape it into a loose round by tucking the edges underneath. Don't worry about perfection. Let this rest, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes. This relaxation period makes final shaping easier. The dough will spread slightly, which is expected.

6. 6

   Final shaping

   Dust your work surface with flour. Flip the dough so the floured side faces down. Stretch the top edge away from you and fold it to the center. Stretch the bottom edge toward you and fold it over the first fold. Now stretch the left and right sides and fold them to the center, creating a package. Flip the dough so the seam faces down. Cup your hands around the back of the dough and pull it toward you, using the friction of the counter to create surface tension. The skin should look taut. Rotate and repeat until you have a tight, round boule.

   Surface tension is everything. A slack, flat loaf comes from weak shaping. If your dough keeps relaxing flat, let it rest 10 minutes and reshape more firmly.
7. 7

   Cold proof overnight

   Dust a proofing basket or towel-lined bowl generously with rice flour or regular flour. Place the shaped dough seam-side up in the basket. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a shower cap. Refrigerate for 8-16 hours. This cold retard develops flavor and makes scoring easier. The dough should puff slightly in the refrigerator but won't double. In the morning, it should hold an indentation when you press it gently, springing back slowly.

8. 8

   Preheat your oven

   Place a Dutch oven with its lid inside your oven. Heat to 500°F for at least 45 minutes. The vessel must be screaming hot. This trapped heat mimics a professional steam-injected oven, giving you the blistered, crackled crust that makes sourdough worth the effort. Don't rush this step.

9. 9

   Score and bake

   Cut a piece of parchment paper slightly larger than your loaf. Turn the cold dough onto the parchment, seam-side down. Using a razor blade or very sharp knife held at a 45-degree angle, score the surface with a swift, confident slash about ½-inch deep. Hesitation tears the dough. One decisive motion. Carefully lower the dough (using the parchment as a sling) into the hot Dutch oven. Cover with the lid immediately.

   Scoring cold dough is dramatically easier than scoring room-temperature dough. The cold firms the surface and gives your blade something to cut cleanly against.
10. 10

    Bake covered

    Reduce oven temperature to 450°F. Bake with the lid on for 25 minutes. The trapped steam allows maximum oven spring, that dramatic puff that happens in the first minutes of baking. Resist the urge to peek.

11. 11

    Bake uncovered until golden

    Remove the lid carefully (a blast of steam will escape). Continue baking for 20-25 minutes until the crust is deeply golden brown, almost mahogany in places. The loaf should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Internal temperature should read 205-210°F if you're using a thermometer. The whole wheat flour produces a darker crust than white bread. Don't pull it early out of fear of burning.

12. 12

    Cool completely

    Transfer the loaf to a wire rack. Walk away for at least 1 hour, preferably 2. Cutting into hot bread releases steam that was meant to stay inside, leaving you with a gummy interior. The crust will crackle and sing as it cools. This is the bread talking. Listen to it. When you finally slice, the crumb should be tender and moist with an irregular hole structure and a wheaty, slightly tangy fragrance.

Chef Tips

• •Your starter should pass the float test before you begin. Drop a spoonful into water. If it floats, it's ready. If it sinks, feed it and wait another few hours. Weak starter produces flat bread, no exceptions.
• •The 55% whole wheat ratio in this recipe balances flavor and structure. You can push it to 70% whole wheat, but increase water by 20-30g and expect a denser crumb. One hundred percent whole wheat requires a different approach entirely.
• •Stone-ground whole wheat from a local mill transforms this bread. The flour tastes like wheat, not cardboard. Seek it out at farmers markets or order online. The difference justifies the effort.
• •If your kitchen runs cold, proof the dough in your oven with just the light on. The bulb generates enough gentle warmth to keep fermentation moving.
• •This bread keeps remarkably well. Store cut-side down on a cutting board for 3-4 days. The crust softens, but the flavor deepens. Toast slices to revive the crunch.

Advance Preparation

• •Starter should be fed 4-8 hours before you plan to mix the dough. At room temperature, this means feeding in the morning for an evening mix, or before bed for a morning mix.
• •The cold proof can extend up to 48 hours if needed. Longer proofing develops more sour flavor. Adjust to your schedule and taste preferences.
• •Shaped dough can go directly from refrigerator to oven. No need to bring to room temperature first.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 98g)