Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread

Ingredients
- Wet Ingredients
- Dry Ingredients
Homemade Starter Recipe
Dietary Substitutions
Equipment
Storage
Related Recipes
More BREAD recipes

This Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread is made using a blend of bread flour and whole wheat flour and has a light texture with a nice crispy crust. This recipe is similar to my Sourdough French Bread, however, it uses some whole wheat flour to add a wholesome spin. It’s quick and simple to make using a stand mixer vs. kneading by hand.

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

Sourdough starter is used to make traditional sourdough bread using the starter as the leavening instead of yeast.
Whole milk is a cow’s milk that retains its 3.25% natural fat content, giving it a creamy, rich texture.
Bottled water is best when making sourdough so that the minerals from your tap water do not interfere with the natural fermentation process.
Butter is made from churned cream that contains 80% butterfat. European butter is churned longer and has a higher fat content (82%-85%), which is why it yields more flavor.

Dry Ingredients

Bread flour is a type of wheat flour that has a higher protein content of 11-14%. Therefore it helps develop more gluten, providing more structure and elasticity, making it ideal for baking bead. It is perfect for making bread, rolls, and pizza crust.
Whole Wheat Flour is made from the entire wheat kernel, has a protein content of 13-15%, is rich in fiber, and gives a hearty, nutty flavor to breads.
Instant Yeast is a leavening agent that produces carbon dioxide gas and alcohol during fermentation. During the baking process, gas gets trapped in the dough and the alcohol evaporates. Instant yeast speeds up this process, cutting the rise time in half.
Sugar is a made by processing the juice of the sugarcane plant. Cane sugar is a natural option that is less processed with a slightly courser texture.
Pink salt is a type of rock salt found near the Himalayas, that is minimally processsed and contains trace minerals.

Homemade Starter Recipe

Here is the recipe for my Basic Sourdough Starter.

Basic Sourdough Starter

Check out this recipe

Dietary Substitutions

For the past 12+ years, I have owned an all-natural specialty bakery converting conventional recipes to gluten free, vegan, wholesome, etc. Read more about it here.

TO MAKE GLUTEN-FREE

Here are some tips for gluten free baking

Use a premium gluten-free flour blend.
Be sure to let the batter rest to help eliminate grittiness. Even letting the batter sit 15 minutes will yield a light and tender baked good. You can let batter sit in the fridge overnight, and up to 3 days.
Add 1-2 tablespoons additional liquid (use the same liquid called for in the recipe) to help hydrate the flour.
Reduce the oven temperature by at least 25° to bake low and slow, since gluten-free flour is delicate and tends to burn baked goods before the center is cooked through.
Gluten-free baked goods have a shorter shelf-life than conventional baked goods and dry out faster. Store in airtight container on counter 1-2 days. The refrigerator tends to dry them out more, so it is best to freeze up to 6 months.
NOTE: You will also need to make a Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter. Use my Basic Sourdough Starter recipe and swap out the unbleached flour for gluten free flour.

Equipment

Recommended tools: (affiliate links)

Storage

Baked Loaf: Cover in air-tight container and leave on counter up to 3 days. To freeze, cover in saran wrap and place in freezer-safe container up to 6 months. Thaw on counter in the container for 1/2 hour before opening up the container.

What if I don’t have a bread loaf pan?

You can make this as a sourdough round boule. After first proof, just shape into a round loaf and place in either a banneton basket or on a baking pan.

Can I make this dairy free?

Yes, swap out the butter with vegan butter or use a light oil such as canola oil or extra light olive. Swap out the milk to unsweetened oat milk or use all water as the liquid.