Everyday Whole Wheat Sourdough
Everyday Whole Wheat Sourdough is blended with white and whole wheat flours and a touch of dark honey. It's your perfect sandwich loaf.
Servings: 2 Loaves
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.
Notes
Rice flour: many bread bakers prefer to coat their proofing baskets with rice flour for that tender, delicate flour finish you see on a bread's crust. If you don't have rice flour, using bread flour is really just fine. I personally use bread flour.