100% Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread – Fluffy & Soft!

It’s no secret that baking with whole grain flours is tough compared to white bread flour. Whole wheat flour is heavy and dense compared to the highly refined flours most of us are familiar with. This creates many issues for families trying to feed picky eaters.

For even more understanding about my whole grain sourdough process, I recommend reading my Guide to Whole Wheat Sourdough eBook! This book is completely free as a gift for signing up for my email list. Sign up below and a link will be emailed to you automatically! You will also receive weekly email updates for my new recipes.

I also highly recommend reading my Ultimate Guide to Fresh Milled Flour!

Studies show again and again that including whole grains in your diet improves health outcomes, and whole wheat bread contains fiber and nutrients.

While there may still be some benefits to sourdough made with white flour, particularly as it pertains to enhancing digestibility, I am ultimately most interested in making truly nutrient-dense foods which means I have invested a lot of time into learning the art of homemade whole grain bread.

But is that true?

If you had asked me a year ago, I would have said yes. However, I’ve learned a thing or two along the way and now I can happily say that an open crumb is possible!

With a caveat– 

White flour will indeed be capable of a wider crumb than whole wheat if those giant gaping holes are all you’re after. However, a light, airy, fluffy 100% whole wheat sourdough bread is possible.

• Hard Red Wheat Flour 
• Whole White Wheat Flour – if you’re unfamiliar with “white wheat,” know that it is NOT white flour. This just refers to the color of the kernel. Here is some more info on red vs. white wheat).
  • Feel free to use all one type of wheat if that is easier for you, just know results may vary. If you have a grain mill, this recipe works great with fresh-milled flour!
• Sourdough Starter – I use a stiff whole wheat starter fed equal portions fresh milled flour and water. You can use active and bubbly starter, but you don’t have to! As long as you have a happy, healthy starter, you can use unfed starter straight from your fridge for this recipe. It works wonderfully and provides a lovely flavor and vibrant rise. Just make sure that it has been fed somewhat recently.
• Water – I use 425 grams of water for my fresh-milled flour. If you are using bagged flour, I recommend starting at 400 grams of water and then comparing it to the texture of the dough you see in my recipe video. If it looks dryer than my dough, work in a little more water up to 425 grams.
• Sea Salt
• Diastatic Malt Powder – This ingredient is optional, but it is considered a dough enhancer that may help the fermentation process. When I skip it, I do not notice much difference in the final product other than a slightly slower bulk fermentation time.

Complete 4 sets, 30 minutes rest in between each. You can check the progress of your gluten development development at any time by performing the windowpane test. Pull up on a section of the dough and try to stretch it into a thin sheet with your fingers. If the gluten development is good, it should stretch without tearing. See the photo below (from a different recipe, but demonstrates this concept) for a reference.

Wet the back of your hand and press down on the top of the dough to make it flat so you can mark the dough’s starting point, either with a marker or a piece of tape. 

We are going to measure our bulk fermentation by the rise, not the time. Too many factors impact timing and it will be different for each person, and it’s different each time you bake! When you judge the fermentation by the rise based on the dough temp, you will get much more consistent results.

Take the temperature of the dough with a thermometer (dough temp it is not always the same as room temp because so many factors impact dough temp, not just the air). Consider where it falls on the chart below, and keep that percentage rise in mind.

If your dough temperature is:

• 65F –> 100% rise, ie: full doubling of dough.
• 67F –> 90% rise 
• 70F –> 75% rise (3/4 of the way to doubling)
• 73F –> 65% rise
• 75F –> 50% rise (risen by half its volume)
• 78F –> 40% rise
• 80F –> 30% rise

My temperatures above were learned from the Sourdough Journey’s article on the Mystery of Bulk Fermentation. It is a great read for more information on why temperature matters. 

Mark the starting point of your dough, and then measure how tall the dough is. Multiply that measurement by the percentage determined in the chart above, and then add the initial measurement back to that. Using a measuring tape if needed, mark your target.

Example: if my dough is 4 cups in volume, and I’m targeting a 50% rise based on my temperature, I will add 50% of 4 to 4 (so, 2+4…) and put a mark at the 6-cup line.

This is a bit nerdy, but I’ve found that excellent whole wheat loaves require this level of detail while you’re perfecting your process. As an intuitive baker myself, it was hard to accept doing all this measurement business, but it was a game changer for me.

I can’t stress how important it is to truly understand the process of bulk fermentation to produce quality whole wheat loaves. The Sourdough Journey website is a wealth of information.

If you want more information as it pertains to whole grain dough specifically (as the Sourdough Journey’s experience is with mostly white bread flour), then you can get my free eBook where I go more in detail. See the “All the Tips & Tricks” section near the top of this post to get this eBook.

Now grab the short edge and gently roll it up like a burrito. Pinch the ends together. Use a bench scraper to help you pick up the dough and place it in the banneton, smooth side down and seam on the top. Pinch the seam together on top to tighten.

Cover and let sit for 1-2 hours until it starts to puff. I find it helpful to give it a head start on the proofing at room temperature before going to the fridge, but this is something you’ll have to play around with because everyone’s home, fridge temperature, etc. is different. During the summer, I skip the counter rise. During the winter, I find it necessary.

• If you find your loaves are overproofed (no oven rise but airy, even crumb), do not do a counter-proof and put the loaf directly in the fridge right away.
• If your loaves are coming out under-proofed (dense, gummy crumb), then you will want to increase the time the loaf sits on the counter before going into the fridge.
• You want to see that your dough grows in size about 10-20% during the proof. Whether or not you let it counter-proof before the fridge will depend on the weather, house temp, dough temp, etc. Getting this right is trial and error while you learn the variables of your kitchen.

Place in the fridge for at least 8 hours, or as long as 48 hours. You can bake it when it’s convenient for you!

Many sourdough baking cloches are designed for white flour and are larger than needed for whole grains. You can still use them, just know that it may not give you the rise you’re hoping for. 

While many people use 6-qt dutch ovens for white sourdough loaves, I recommend a smaller size for whole grain sourdough to get the best results with the oven rise. I suggest a 3-quart size that is deep (such as this one). (Tip: for cast iron (enameled or not), throw some rice or cornmeal under your parchment paper so the bottom doesn’t burn!)

Stoneware/clay bakers are another option but may require slightly different baking instructions to avoid drastic temp changes.

I loved using a Pampered Chef 3 quart stone baker in an oval shape because of the way it hugged the loaf and prevented spreading.

However, I’ve since broken it because they’re a little bit delicate, so be careful with stoneware and avoid drastic temperature changes when using it.

Nowadays, I’m either using a 3-quart Dutch oven for boules or the LoafNest my husband got me for batards. I’m still on the hunt for a new Pampered Chef baker at thrift stores, too!

Remove your baking vessel from the oven and carefully place your dough into it. Spray your dough 10-15 times with a water bottle and then put the lid on. This will help create steam and keep the crust from setting too early before the rise is finished.

Put your baker into the oven and bake at 450 for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, remove the lid from the baker. Lower the heat to 425, and bake for an additional 12-15 minutes. Take the internal temperature of your bread to ensure it’s fully baked–aim for at least 205°F.