This is the bread my family lives on. It is soft, tender, slices well, and my favorite soft sandwich loaf bread to make. As much as I love making artisan bread loaves and experimenting with different add ins this is the bread I use for toast at breakfast, grilled cheese, peanut butter sandwiches, or my daughters favorite- smeared with my favorite lime marmalade (can’t keep that hidden well enough!)
While this does contain yeast it is a fairly small amount. The sourdough flavor is mild and great for kids who don’t like the stronger sourdough flavor. I have chilled the bread overnight for the second rise but usually I bake the same day. I adapted this recipe from King Arthur Flour and after tweaking it I love it even more.
I usually make at least 3 loaves of bread at a time, just triple all ingredients.
What won’t get eaten within a couple of days I thinly slice and freeze. To defrost I just put in the toaster.
A note on whole wheat: White whole wheat is my go to choice. I have a wheat grinder and keep a stock of white wheat berries on hand fortunately so I don’t worry about running out. White wheat has all the nutritional benefits of red wheat but is lighter in color and softer in texture and will make a lighter loaf. If you only have red wheat you could even use a third all purpose flour to keep it from being too heavy.
Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup fed sourdough starter
- 1 cup warm water
- 340 grams white whole wheat flour (approximately 3 cups)
- 2 Tablespoons vital wheat gluten
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1 Tablespoon flax seed meal, optional
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the starter and water.
- Attach the dough hook and add remaining ingredients and mix until well combined.
- Knead for 5 minutes.
- Place in a greased bowl and cover. Raise until almost doubled, 60-90 minutes.
- On a lightly floured surface gently shape into a loaf and place in a greased 8 1/2″ by 4 1/2″ loaf pan.
OVERNIGHT PROOF: You can at this point instead of doing the second proof on the counter do a long overnight proof in the refrigerator. Up to 24 hours.
- Cover and raise 60-90 minutes or dough reaches 1 inch above the pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or bread reaches 205 degrees.
- Remove bread from pan and cool on wire rack before cutting.
