100 Whole Wheat Sourdough Hearth Bread Recipes

WHOLE WHEAT SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• Make the levain:Take out about 1-2 tablespoon of your starter from the fridge place it in a bowl. Mix with 50 grams of room temperature water and 50 grams of flour (sifted bread flour, whole grain, spelt, or a combo - whatever you prefer as long as the flour to water ratio is 1:1).
• Cover the bowl with a plate and leave it on the counter to ferment overnight for approximately 8-12 hours. For more information, see this post on how to make levain.
• Once your levain is ready, combine all of it with 350 grams of the water. Add the flour to the water mixture and, and using your hands, mix to combine.
• Once the dough is mixed, cover with a tea towel and let it sit at room temperature for 40 minutes to rest.
• After the elapsed 40 minute of resting time is up, add the salt and remaining 25 grams water. Mix well until combined then cover with the tea towel and let the mixture sit for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, it is time for the first fold.
• Do the first fold:To do this get your hands damp and reach under the dough on the opposite side of the bowl from you. Pull the dough up and over towards you. Repeat this so the side closest to you folds over to the side away from you and the side on your left folds towards you right, and your right folds towards your left. Think of it as wrapping a package. Then, scoop your hands under the ball of dough and flip it over completely. This completes one "fold".
• Complete 6 more folds (one fold every 30 minutes) for 3 hours total.
• Shaping the dough: Begin by taking the dough out of the bowl and letting it rest on the counter for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare your banneton by dusting it with flour, or layer a clean tea towel in a medium mixing bowl and dust liberally with flour (50-50 wheat flour and rice flour is a great dusting combo).
• Shape your dough making sure you get as much surface tension as possible without tearing the outside of the loaf. Once shaped, turn the loaf into the lined and floured bowl or banneton (top-down, seam side up). Gently flour the top (previously the bottom) of the dough before covering with the edges of the tea towel. Set in the fridge overnight.
• The next day place your dutch oven in the oven and preheat to 260°C (500°F) or as hot as your oven can go, but no higher than 500°F. After the oven has come to temperature, let the dutch oven continue to preheat for another 30 minutes.
• Once the dutch oven has been preheated, take your bread out of the fridge. Gently invert the dough onto a piece of parchment paper that will be large enough to lift your bread into and out of the dutch oven. Gently score the bread with a sharp knife or bread lame.
• Using oven mitts, carefully remove the dutch oven from the oven, take off the lid and then carefully lift the dough into the pot using the parchment paper.
• Using oven mitts, carefully place the lid back on the dutch oven and put the entire dutch oven back into the heated oven. Reduce the heat to 230°C (450°F) and bake for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the lid (be careful of steam) and bake for another 20 minutes with the lid off.
• Remove the pot from the oven and carefully lift out the loaf using the edges of the parchment paper and let cool completely on a wire rack.

CLASSIC 100% WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

Steps:

• Mixing: I.
• In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir till the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly greased surface, oil your hands, and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it begins to become smooth and supple. (You may also knead this dough in an electric mixer or food processor, or in a bread machine programmed for "dough" or "manual.")
• Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise till puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, about 60 minutes, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
• Shaping:
• Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface, and shape it into an 8-inch log.
• Place the log in a lightly greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan, cover the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the bread to rise for about 1 hour, or until it's crowned about 1 inch above the edge of the pan. A finger pressed into the dough should leave a mark that rebounds slowly.
• Baking:
• Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for about 40 minutes, tenting it lightly with aluminum foil after 20 minutes.
• Test it for doneness by removing it from the pan and thumping it on the bottom (it should sound hollow), or measuring its interior temperature with an instant-read thermometer (it should register 190°F at the center of the loaf).
• Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a wire rack before slicing. Store the bread in a plastic bag at room temperature.

EASY 100% WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

Steps:

• Mix the warm water, honey, and yeast in a stand-mixer bowl until mixture becomes foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Add half the whole wheat flour, olive oil, and salt to the mixture. Mix with a spatula or wooden spoon until incorporated. Let sit for 1 to 2 minutes.
• Mix with a dough hook attachment on low speed, slowly adding the remaining whole wheat flour, increasing the speed to high. Mix on high until the batter is combined and not sticking to the sides of the bowl, about 7 minutes. Cover the bowl with a towel and let rest for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Flour a surface to work the dough.
• Place the dough onto the floured work surface and shape into a loaf. Use more flour if necessary. Place into the prepared loaf pan.
• Let shaped dough sit in a warm place until it has risen over the top of the pan, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake in the preheated oven until top of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped, about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 to 20 minutes before removing from the pan and transferring to a wire rack. Let cool an additional hour before slicing; otherwise it will feel doughy.

BETH'S 100% WHOLE WHEAT SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• The afternoon before you want bread, feed your starter 1 cup distilled water and 1 cup flour (not included in recipe ingredients).
• That evening, when it is all bubbly and active, combine the first 4 ingredients in a large bowl, cover loosely, and allow to get bubbly like a fed starter does but not at it's peak yet (about 5 hours). This is essentially a sponge.
• That evening, add remaining ingredients.
• Knead until the gluten is developed and it passes the windowpane test (when a golf sized ball of it is worked and stretched thin, you can see light through it and it doesn't rip), about 6-8 min in a Kitchen Aid.
• Divide into 2 loaves and shape, placing them into 8.5 x 4.5 greased bread pans (they will be smallish loaves). It would probably make 1 very large loaf in a 9 x 5 pan.
• Cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap.
• Allow to rise until doubled (not very tall, just doubled). This went much faster than I anticipated (6-7 hours). If you have a fast rising starter, I would suggest placing the unrisen loaves in the fridge or a cool place to slow it down a little. This will also develop a more sour flavor.
• Bake at 350 for 30-40 minute.
• Remove from pans immediately and cool on a wire rack.

100% WHOLE WHEAT SOURDOUGH HEARTH BREAD

Steps:

• To make the starter, combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl. If using a mixer, use the paddle attachment and mix on the lowest speed for 1 minute, then increase to medium speed for about 30 seconds. If mixing by hand, stir for about 2 minutes, until well blended. The starter should feel doughlike and tacky or slightly sticky; if not, stir in additional flour or water as needed.
• Transfer the starter to a lightly floured work surface and knead for about 30 seconds. Place it in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl loosely, and leave at room temperature for 6 to 8 hours, until the starter increases to about 1 1/2 times its original size. Use the starter immediately to make the final dough, or refrigerate overnight or for up to 4 days.
• To make the dough, cut the starter into 10 or 12 pieces and put them in a mixing bowl. Dissolve the honey in the warm water (if using sugar rather than honey, mix it in with the flour and salt), then stir in the oil and pour the mixture into the mixing bowl. Stir to soften the starter, then add the flour and salt, along with the instant yeast (unless making the "purist" version). If using a mixer, use the paddle attachment and mix on the lowest speed for 1 minute, or stir with a large spoon for about 1 minute, to evenly distribute the ingredients and create a wet, coarse dough. Let the dough sit for 5 minutes to fully hydrate the flour.
• Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium-low speed, or continue mixing by hand, for 2 minutes. The dough will firm up slightly and become smoother. If it's very stiff, add a little more water, 1 teaspoon at a time. The dough should be very supple and slightly sticky. Continue to mix with the dough hook on medium-low speed, or mix by hand, for 4 minutes more, increasing the speed to medium-high or kneading more vigorously for the final 20 seconds to develop and organize the gluten. The dough will still be slightly sticky but will also feel stronger and more elastic.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface with a wet bowl scraper. With wet or oiled hands, reach under one end of the dough, stretch it out, then fold it back onto the top of the dough. Do this from the back end and then from each side, then flip the dough over and tuck it into a ball. The dough should be slightly firmer, though still very soft and fragile. Place the dough in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Repeat this entire process three more times, completing all repetitions within 40 minutes.
• After the final stretch and fold, immediately cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate the dough overnight or for up to 4 days (for the "purist" version, leave the dough out for 2 to 3 hours before refrigerating). The dough will rise to about double, and possibly triple, its original size within 8 to 12 hours in the refrigerator. (If you plan to bake the dough in batches over different days, you can portion the dough and place it into two or more oiled bowls at this stage.)
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator about 3 hours before you plan to bake (or 4 hours before for the "purist" version). Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and divide it into two equal pieces for loaves or small pieces for rolls. Shape the dough as freestanding loaves (see page 20) or rolls (see page 25). You can use bannetons, couches, or the back of a sheet pan lined with parchment paper to proof the bread. Mist the dough with spray oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap, then let the dough rise at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours (up to 4 hours for the "purist" version), until increased to 1 1/2 times its original size.
• Preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C) and prepare it for hearth baking (see page 30). Uncover the dough 15 minutes before baking and score it with a sharp serrated knife or razor blade (scoring rolls is optional).
• Transfer the dough to the oven, pour 1 cup of hot water into the steam pan, and lower the temperature to 425°F (218°C).
• Bake the loaves for 15 minutes, then rotate the pan; rotate rolls after 10 minutes. The total baking time is 35 to 45 minutes for loaves, and only 20 to 22 minutes for rolls. The bread is done when the top and sides are a deep, rich brown; the loaf sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom; and the internal temperature is above 195°F (91°C) in the center. For a crisper crust, leave the bread in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes after you turn the off oven.
• Cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes for rolls and 45 minutes for loaves before slicing or serving.