Whole Wheat & Honey Sourdough is blended with white and whole wheat flour and a touch of dark honey. It’s your prefect everyday loaf for toast and sandwiches.
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I think….it’s time.
Yes, it’s time…to write….the long awaited post that many have asked for….have waited for…..and that is
…an easy, comprehensive sourdough bread post.
I will now break for applause.
………….[applause]……….
There are so many things to write about surrounding the topic of sourdough and bread baking that simply cannot be addressed all in one post. My goal with The Wild Heart Kitchen is helping you feel comfortable in your kitchen and giving you the tools to cook from scratch with confidence. There is no better way to be confident in your kitchen than celebrating the achievement of homemade bread…because it is achievable, accessible, and even enjoyable. It’s not scary. Baking bread should be a part of your daily life like any other aspect of your routine. It should be engrained.
I bake up many different flavors of sourdough, but my Whole Wheat & Honey Sourdough is one of my favorites. I use white whole wheat flour from King Arthur Baking Co. for this recipe. Their white whole wheat flour provides all the benefits of whole wheat nutrition with a lighter wheat flavor. My Whole Wheat And Honey Sourdough has a 50/50 white whole wheat to bread flour blend with small amount of honey. The honey softens and balances out the whole wheat in this loaf and adds further feeds the fermentation process. My recipe calls for a darker honey, like a fall flower honey, but feel free to use whatever honey you love.
Now, for the topping. You can simply leave the crust of your sourdough simple, but I prefer to top my loaves with unhulled sesame seeds or oats for extra texture and flavor. If you can source unhulled sesame seeds, they are really wonderful, rich and earthy; complimenting the rustic feel of the wheat.
Approachable baking starts here!
- There are countless ways to bake sourdough. This is just my method that I find is the easiest, most wholesome, and not a complete pain in the neck.
- For the purposes of someone (you, hi there!) who simply wants to bake bread, I am not going to use fancy words like autolyse, levain, or anything that scares so many people away from baking bread. I am going to lay it out super simple.
- First and foremost, I highly suggest you read The Beginners Bread Baking Guide post that I published a few months ago. It answers many basic questions and gives important information on bread baking, yeast, proofing, and more.
- I loosely follow Tartine’s method for sourdough. I found this book to be the most direct and user friendly (and I have read them all). So if you want to read more about sourdough, I highly suggest his book.
Debunking some things…
- First and foremost, bread baking is not hard, its just something we aren’t used to doing anymore. You cannot be afraid of failure. My very first loaf of bread turned out like a doorstop….and you know what, with some lovely salted butter and preserves…even the worst loaf of bread tastes just fine. What starts off feeling a little silly and clumsy gets easier after each time you try it again!
- I don’t care what people tell you, you do not need to heat your water to a certain temperature to make sourdough. I used to do this and I really didn’t see an incredible difference. Just use room temperature water. But DO use filtered water.
- It’s ok to have a crumb that’s a little more closed! I know it’s a social media sensation to have these giant holes in sourdough, but who wants that? You can’t make a sandwich with giant holes! Your butter will just fall out! The poor avocado and tomatoes! You want a beautiful open crumb to be sure, but those giant holes are just beauty, not utility!
Worth the investment:
- Using a digital kitchen scale to weigh ingredients, especially for bread making, yields the best finished products. Scales are relatively inexpensive, like this one, and have many uses! I highly suggest you purchase one.
- Owning 2 proofing baskets like these from King Arthur are essential for sourdough proofing and I highly recommend you purchase some. If you don’t have proofing baskets, you can line a medium sized mixing bowl with a thin, non terry dishtowel sprinkled in flour.
- If you don’t have a starter, are brand new to sourdough or just want a good browse…I highly suggest checking out King Arthur Baking Company’s Sourdough collection of goodies.
Identifying a “ripe” sourdough starter:
Your starter is ready to use when it has a little jiggle to it, you see little bubbles form at the surface and all up the sides of the starter (assuming your starter is in a transparent container).
Folding and “turning” your dough:
Unlike other breads, when you work with sourdough you don’t want to punch down and deflate the air bubbles. Every time you handle sourdough, you are building up the bread’s structure. Think of it like adding additional stories to a house. When you fold and stretch the dough during a turn, the layer of dough merely rests on the top of the rest of the dough. Below is an example of how to stretch and fold during a “turn.”
How to get that beautiful crust:
There are several ways to achieve that iconic crust. Since most home bakers do not own a steam oven (which is the best way to bake crusty bread), using a Dutch oven is next best way to achieve a crusty loaf. You have two good options. The first is an enameled Dutch oven like this one from Staub or from Le Creuset or this more affordable (but just as amazing) one from Lodge. The other option, and the more cost effective option, is this double cooker from Lodge, which I personally use for my breads. If you use the double cooker, make sure the frying pan part of the cooker is your “bottom” when baking and the cover is the “pot” piece (because the pot is slightly tapered).
So go grab that starter! Let’s get baking!
Everyday Whole Wheat Sourdough
Ingredients
- 500 grams bread flour plus more for dusting
- 500 grams stone ground white whole wheat flour
- 200 grams ripe sourdough starter
- 800 grams room temperature filtered water
- 40 grams dark honey
- 20 grams table salt
- rice flour optional, see note
- Sesame seeds/oats for topping, optional
Instructions
To begin:
- In a very large mixing bowl, combine bread flour and white whole wheat flour and mix to combine. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, weigh out your 200 grams of ripe sourdough starter. Add the 800 grams of room temperature water, dark honey, and stir well to combine.
- Add the wet ingredients into the bowl containing the flour. Using a dough whisk, a large wooden spoon, or even your hands, mix well until a rough dough forms and almost no bits of flour remain.
- Cover the bowl with a dish towel or plastic wrap and let it rest, in a warm place, for 45 minutes.
- Uncover the bowl and sprinkle the salt over the dough. Using a claw motion, pinch and mix the salt into the dough until fully incorporated. Cover the bowl and let it rest in a warm spot for 30 minutes.
To "turn"
- After 30 minutes, its now time for your first "turn". Using both hands pick up the edge of the dough farthest away from you and fold it towards you, completely over itself and gently set it down on the side of the bowl closest to you. Do NOT deflate the dough. Give the bowl and quarter turn and repeat by folding the dough towards you. Repeat until all four sides have been folded over. Cover the dough back up with the towel and set the timer for another 30 minutes.
- Repeat this process for two more "turns," waiting 30 minutes between each "turn."
- After the third "turn," cover the dough back up and let the dough rest in a warm spot for 2 and a half hours in the winter or 2 hours 15 minutes in the depths of summer when it's really hot and humid out.
To shape, bench rest, and proof:
- On a clean kitchen counter, flip the dough bowl over and gently release the dough from the bowl onto the counter (you may need to scrape it out with your fingers). Lightly sprinkle the top of the turned out dough with flour.
- Using a knife or a bench scraper, cut the dough in half.
- Flip one piece of dough over (the floured side is now on the counter). Using your fingertips, gently stretch the dough out a bit into a larger circle, about 10 inches. DO NOT FLATTEN. Using your fingertips, lift the edge of dough farthest from you and gently pull it towards you to fold it completely over itself. Repeat this stretch and fold in a clock wise motion until you have a rough rounded loaf.
- Repeat with the process with the second piece of dough. Flour the tops of both rough loaves, cover with the dish cloth and let the loaves rest for 25 minutes.
- While the loaves rest, generously coat the inside of a proofing basket with rice flour or all purpose flour. If you want to coat the outside of your loaves with either sesame seeds or oat, sprinkle those into the bottom of the proofing basket first, then coat the basket with rice or all purpose flour. Set the baskets aside.
- After 25 minutes has elapsed, it's time for the final folds and shaping. Flip one of the rough loaves over (so the floured top is now on the counter). Using your fingertips, gently stretch out the loaf a little bit to an 8 inch circle (DO NOT FLATTEN OR DEFLATE). Pick up the edge of the top of the loaf (farthest from you) and stretch and fold it to the middle (DO NOT PRESS DOWN). Then stretch and fold over the right side to the middle and then the left side. Fold the bottom up and over up to the top of the loaf, covering the middle seam.
- Flip the dough over. Cup your hands firmly, but gently, around the loaf and tuck your pinkies underneath the loaf. Gently drag the dough towards you in a circular motion. Use the friction of the counter and continue pushing the dough in a circle on the counter to shape the loaf into a firm sphere that holds it's shape. (If you begin to see little tears forming on the top of the loaf, you have shaped a little too far, but that's ok.)
- Repeat this process with the other half of dough.
- Carefully slip your hand under each loaf and flip the loaves over into each proofing basket. (So, what was the top of your loaf, is now resting at the bottom of the proofing basket and the bread's bottom is facing up.)
- Sprinkle the loaves with bread flour or rice flour.
- You now have two options: 1. Cover the loaves with a dish towel and allow them to rise for 4 hours in a warm spot and then bake them. 2. Place each proofing basket in a plastic bag, close it up and let the bread proof in the fridge for 12-13 hours. (I do this one)
To bake:
- Put two Dutch ovens in the oven. Turn the oven on and set it to 500 °F. Once it has reached temperature, leave the oven to heat for one hour.
- Take two large pieces of parchment paper and tightly crush each piece into a ball and flatten them onto the counter. This will ensure your dough sits evenly on the paper while baking.
- Carefully turn each proofing basket over on a piece of parchment. Using your fingertips, gently help each loaf out of the basket. Sprinkle the tops of each loaf with a bit of flour (if needed).
- Using a lame, box cutter, or very sharp knife, score your loaves. For the best sourdough ears (as they are called) hold the lame at a 45 degree angle. You can do a simple hashtag or a large, shwoopy letter "s", or even a line down the center of the loaf. (The scoring allows the bread a controlled way to expand while baking.)
- Using really good oven mitts, remove the Dutch ovens from the oven and remove their lids. Holding the sides of the parchment paper, carefully lower each bread into the Dutch ovens, immediately secure the lids, and put them in the oven.
- Immediately lower the oven to 450 °F and bake for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, carefully remove the lids, and allow the loaves to bake uncovered for an additional 20 minutes, or until the loaves are a deep mahogany, and the "ears" almost have a singe at their tips.
- Carefully lift the loaves out with the parchment paper and slip them off onto a cooling rack. Fully cool the loaves before slicing, about 1-2 hours.
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