Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread

Before you start

Whole wheat flour includes the bran and germ, which give it more flavor and a darker color but also make bread heavier. Bran soaks up a lot of water and its sharp edges cut through gluten strands, so a whole wheat loaf made like a white one turns dry and dense. This recipe fixes both problems: it uses about 84 percent hydration, and the flour rests with the water for an hour before the levain goes in, which softens the bran and gives the gluten a head start.

About 80 percent of the flour here is whole wheat; the rest is bread flour for extra strength. Whole grain also ferments faster than white flour, because it carries more enzymes and food for the yeast, so watch the dough rather than the clock. Expect a moist, tight-but-not-heavy crumb, a nutty, slightly sweet flavor and a deep brown crust.

Ingredients

• Levain30 g (2 tbsp) active sourdough starter — 100% hydration
• 60 g (½ cup) whole wheat flour
• 60 g (¼ cup) water — about 26°C (78°F)
• Dough360 g (3 cups) whole wheat flour
• 90 g (¾ cup) bread flour
• 345 g (1½ cups) water — about 27°C (80°F)
• all (about 150 g) levain from above
• 10 g (1¾ tsp) fine salt
• 20 g (4 tsp) water — to dissolve the salt
• as needed rice flour — for dusting the banneton

Method

1. Make the levain: stir the starter, 60 g whole wheat flour and 60 g water in a jar, cover and leave at about 25°C (77°F) for 4 to 6 hours, until doubled, domed and bubbly.
2. About an hour before the levain is ready, mix the 360 g whole wheat flour, 90 g bread flour and 345 g water in a large bowl until no dry flour remains. Cover and let it autolyse for 1 hour. The dough will feel much softer afterward.
3. Add the levain and squeeze it into the dough with a wet hand until fully combined. Rest 20 minutes. Sprinkle the salt over, add the 20 g water and pinch and fold until the salt dissolves and the dough tightens slightly.
4. Bulk ferment at 24 to 26°C (75 to 79°F) for about 4 to 5 hours. During the first 2 hours, give the dough 4 sets of stretch and folds 30 minutes apart: lift one side, fold it over, rotate the bowl and repeat on all four sides. Then leave it alone.
5. Bulk is done when the dough has risen by about 50 percent, the surface is domed with bubbles at the edges, and it jiggles when you shake the bowl. Whole wheat dough overferments quickly, so do not wait for it to double.
6. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a tight round by dragging it toward you with a bench scraper so the surface tightens. Place it smooth side down in a rice-floured banneton.
7. Cover and refrigerate for 12 to 16 hours. The cold slows fermentation, deepens the flavor and makes the soft dough easier to score.
8. Put the Dutch oven in the oven and heat to 250°C (480°F) for 45 minutes. Turn the cold loaf onto parchment, score one decisive slash about 1 cm (⅜ in) deep and lower it into the pot.
9. Bake covered for 20 minutes. Uncover, reduce the oven to 230°C (450°F) and bake 20 to 25 minutes more, until the crust is deep brown and the center reads about 96 to 99°C (205 to 210°F).
10. Cool on a rack for at least 2 hours before cutting. A whole grain crumb is especially gummy if cut while warm.

Tips for success

• Sift out a little bran and use it to dust the banneton and top of the loaf for a rustic finish instead of rice flour.
• Use wet hands, not extra flour, to handle the sticky dough. Added flour makes the crumb drier.
• Freshly milled or stone-ground flours absorb more water. If the dough feels stiff after the autolyse, add 10 to 20 g more water.

Substitutions

Bread flour

Use all whole wheat (450 g) for a 100 percent loaf. Add about 20 g more water and expect a lower, denser bread.

Whole wheat flour

White whole wheat flour gives a milder, paler loaf with the same handling. Spelt can replace up to a third but makes a slacker dough.

Dutch oven

Bake on a preheated baking steel or stone with a metal pan of boiling water on the rack below for steam. Expect slightly less oven spring.

Variations

Honey oat whole wheat

Add 20 g honey with the levain and roll the shaped loaf in rolled oats before it goes into the banneton.

Seeded whole wheat

Soak 60 g mixed seeds in 60 g boiling water for an hour and fold them in during the second set of folds.

Troubleshooting

Dense, heavy crumb

The dough was too dry or bulk was too short. Keep hydration high, let the autolyse run its full hour and wait for a clear 50 percent rise.

Loaf spread flat and gummy

Bulk ran too long, so the gluten weakened. Whole grain ferments fast; end bulk at around 50 percent rise, and use a cooler spot if your kitchen is warm.

Very sour or bitter taste

Overfermentation or a long warm retard. Shorten the bulk, keep the refrigerator at 4°C (40°F) or below, and bake within 16 hours.

Storage

Store cut side down on a board or in a bread bag at room temperature for up to 4 days; whole wheat sourdough keeps longer than white bread. Slice and freeze for up to 3 months.

Safety notes

Do not taste raw dough or flour. Contains wheat.