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100% Whole Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread

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This 100% whole wheat sourdough sandwich bread is soft, chewy, and rich in nutty whole grain flavor. This bread gets a beautiful rise and has the perfect tender crumb for sandwiches, toast, and is awesome for eating warm right out of the oven!

Layered slices of 100% whole wheat sourdough on a cutting board.

I’ve been working on perfecting my fresh milled 100% whole wheat sourdough recipe for almost a year now. It took me awhile because my final results were always a bit denser than what I wanted to present to the world, and often I’d just fall back on making my whole wheat sourdough boule recipe.

But *finally* I have achieved what I believe to be the PERFECT whole grain sourdough bread!

Another bonus is that this bread is a POWERHOUSE of nutrients. From the fresh milled flour to eggs to olive oil to maple syrup…I introduced another special ingredient to the mix: liquid whey from yogurt.

If you love baking with whole wheat flour, you’re going to LOVE this recipe!

Infographic sharing the whole wheat sourdough bread recipe at a glance.

Using Whey in Bread

Whey is one of the proteins found in milk. It is a clear, yellowish liquid that is strained off of dairy products, specifically yogurt and cheese.

Using whey in bread baking has many benefits, including a crispier, brown crust, a slighty sweeter flavor, a soft, dense chew, and additional protein and nutrients such as calcium, phosphorus, B-vitamins, and probiotics (though, yes, probiotics die when baked, but even cooked probiotics are beneficial).

For most home kitches, yogurt whey is the easiest to make or purchase. You can use water instead if you don’t want to deal with acquiring liquid whey.

However, if you have liquid whey to use (I’ll share some easy ways to get it later on in the post), it’s perfect for bread baking!

Ingredients

To make this wholesome whole grain sourdough sandwich loaf, you need:

Hard Red Wheat – This recipe was developed using wheat berries milled into fresh flour, but it should work fine with bagged whole wheat flour, too.

Liquid Whey from Yogurt – I love using whey strained off of homemade yogurt, but you can also buy regular yogurt at the store to strain and get whey to use in this recipe. See the next section for more information on this. If you don’t want to use whey, that’s fine, too! Just use water in its place.

Maple Syrup to bring out the natural rich & nutty sweetness of the grain.

Olive Oil for softness.

Egg & Egg Yolk – Eggs serve as an emulsifier in the dough, improving dough strength, structure, and flavor. Even though this dough ferments at room temperature for several hours, eggs are considered safe to use in sourdough recipes because the dough’s acidic environment helps prevent bacteria from growing. If you are concerned, be sure to use pasteurized eggs for an extra layer of protection.

Salt – I am loving Redmond’s Real Salt for baking these days! But use what you have.

The ingredients for the whole wheat sourdough sandwich loaf arranged on a wooden backdrop.

Where Can I Get Liquid Whey for Baking?

1) Buy It

Liquid whey is not sold in many stores. However, what IS sold is plain regular yogurt!

Simply buy a quart of plain yogurt (NOT Greek yogurt–regular yogurt) and bring it home to strain the whey.

It is very easy to do–see the section below titled “Make It” to learn how to strain the yogurt.

The yogurt that is left is now “Greek yogurt” and it’s delicious, high-protein perfection. You can eat your Greek yogurt as a snack and use the strained whey for baking.

2) Make It

If you have ever made yogurt (very easy to do with most models of the Instant Pot, but there are other ways, too!), then it’s easy to get whey.

Make your yogurt as directed–do not add any sweeteners or flavorings before straining it.

After your yogurt has finished incubating, put it undisturbed in the fridge for 4-8 hours (this will improve the texture of your final yogurt). Once cooled, you can strain your yogurt to get the whey.

To strain, place the mesh sieve over a large bowl. Ideally, your sieve will be able to rest on the bowl rim and not sit on the bottom of the bowl.

Line the mesh sieve with a clean flour sack towel. Paper towels can also be used. I do not recommend cheesecloth as the holes in the material are too big.

Yogurt in a towel-lined mesh sieve straining to remove the whey.

Pour the yogurt into the cloth-lined mesh sieve. Lightly gather the loose ends of the towel and wrap it on top of the yogurt. Put the bowl/sieve of yogurt into the fridge for at least 8 hours but up to 24 hours.

After it has strained the desired about of time, you can spoon the strained yogurt (now called “Greek yogurt”) into a container. The whey in the bottom bowl can be poured into an airtight container and stored in the fridge.

A glass jar filled with clear light yellow yogurt whey.

Clear, uncloudy whey has a great shelf life! It is good for up 3 to 6 months in the fridge. If the whey is cloudy (this just means some yogurt got through), use within two weeks.

Using whey in bread or as a liquid in other baked goods is a great way to reduce food waste.

How to Make Whole Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread

Flour being milled into a mixer bowl.

1. Measure Flour

Measure out 500 grams of whole wheat flour with a food scale. Add flour to a the bowl of a stand mixer or other mixing bowl.

If you are milling your own wheat berries, do this now. Mill 500 grams of hard red wheat berries into a fine flour. Pour into the mixing bowl.

Dough ingredients mixed together.

2. Combine Ingredients

Add the whey, sourdough starter, egg and egg yolk, maple syrup, and olive oil into the mixing bowl with the flour. Mix until everything is combined.

Cover and let this sit (fermentalyze) for 30 minutes. Measure out the salt and keep it near the mixing bowl so you do not forget to add it!

A ball of dough in a stainless steel mixer bowl sprinkled with salt.

3. Add Salt

After the fermentalyze, sprinkle the salt on top of the dough and mix it in using the dough hook on your mixer (or work it in with your hands).

Dough in a mixer bowl with hands performing the window pane test.

4. Knead

Knead until the dough is smooth, supple, and reaches “window pane”, about 8-10 minutes. You may also choose to hand knead– the dough is a bit sticky, but it should not be goopy.

A glass bowl of 100% whole wheat sourdough bulk fermenting.

5. Bulk Ferment

Let the dough bulk ferment in a warm place until it rises about 50% in volume.

A shaped loaf of sourdough ready to proof.

6. Shape

Pour the dough out of the bowl onto a clean work surface. Use any shaping method you wish to shape the loaf.

You can also flatten the dough into a rectangle about the length of your bread pan. Tri-fold the edges of the dough rectangle, then roll the dough up to shape into a loaf. Pinch the ends of the dough together.

Whole wheat sourdough proofed in a loaf pan.

7. Proof

Place it in the bread pan seal-side down. Cover and do a second rise (proof) until puffy. I like to let it proof until the dough domes to the rim of the pan.

A finished loaf of whole wheat sourdough sandwich bread cooling.

8. Bake

Toward the end of the proofing time, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Bake for 40 minutes or until the bread reaches an internal temperature of at least 190 degrees F. Cool completely before slicing.

Whole Wheat Sourdough Tips & Tricks

1) Be patient. The fermentation process takes time.

2) Push the proof. While it is possible to over-ferment your dough, don’t be overly concerned about it for a sandwich loaf baked in a loaf pan–the pan will support the bread as it bakes. Push the proofing time to make sure your loaf is nice and puffy before it goes into the oven.

3) Use a kitchen scale to weigh ingredients. While not 100% necessary, it is so nice not to dirty up a lot of measuring cups and it will help yield consistent results.

Sliceds of whole wheat sourdough sandwich bread on a wooden cutting board.

Sample Baking Schedule

I will type out a sample baking schedule below based on the amount of time it typically takes me.

However, I don’t really believe in organizing your life around your sourdough. Sourdough is much more flexible than people give it credit for.

If it’s late and you want to go to sleep but the dough is not done fermenting, simply put the bowl of dough in the fridge (covered) and pull it out in the morning to continue the recipe. It will continue to ferment a bit overnight even in the cold refrigerator.

When you pull it out in the morning, it will take a bit to warm up, but it will get moving again.

A graphic showing possible baking timelines.

Hold those timings loosely. Remember to listen to your dough, not the clock. For more tips on whole wheat sourdough timing, visit my 100% whole wheat sourdough recipe.

I often bake with cold starter straight from my refrigerator. This slows down my bulk fermentation time a bit, but saves me time on trying to time a starter feeding.

Baking with cold sourdough starter works as long as your starter is healthy, has been fed within the last week or two, kept properly refrigerated, and you have the time to wait on a slower fermentation.

You can see this reflected in my sample schedules above– with the evening schedule, I took the time to feed my starter before bed.

  • I recommend *at least* a 1:4 ratio of starter to flour & water if feeding overnight–this will make sure the starter doesn’t hit peak too early. That said, if it does peak early, you can still use it.
  • Sometimes I go as high as a 1:10 feeding ratio overnight. It helps to know your starter and choose the amount for feeding that matches the typical speed you have noticed works for your own starter.

For the morning schedule, I simplified it by using unfed starter from the fridge. A longer bulk fermentation time is noticed in that schedule.

Your timings will vary.

FAQs

Is whole wheat sourdough healthy?

Whole wheat sourdough is about the healthiest bread you can get! Whole grain flour is much more nutritious than refined white flour because it contains bran, germ, and endosperm. The bran and germ are where you will find the majority of the fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals. White flour only contains the endosperm. This improves texture making for light and fluffy products, but it is missing the components that make wheat nutritious.

Sourdough has been fermented with wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria making it a probiotic food. This creates a loaf that is more digestible and makes the nutrients more bioavailable. Although the probiotic bacteria does get killed during the baking process, studies show that even dead, heat treated, or expired probiotic bacteria can still pass on benefits to our guts. It is also filled with prebiotic fiber from the bran, meaning that sourdough can be a great food source for the healthy bacteria colonies in our gut.

Can whole wheat flour be used in sourdough?

Yes, whole wheat flour can be used in sourdough. I use it all the time! It does require a shift in technique and expectations, as well as some patience when learning to bake with whole wheat flour over white flour.

Check out my whole wheat sourdough recipes for more ideas and inspiration.

Can I use other types of wheat berries in this recipe?

Yes, you can! I recommend using hard red wheat or hard white wheat for best results. You can experiment with using other types of berries, such as rye or spelt, in a 1:1 replacement for some of the hard red wheat up to 20% of the total wheat quanity in the recipe (so up to 100 grams).

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Layered slices of whole wheat sourdough sandwich bread on wooden cutting board.
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Whole Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread with Fresh Milled Flour

This fresh milled whole wheat sourdough sandwich bread is soft, fluffy, and delicious! Made from fresh ground hard white wheat berries, your whole family will love the flavor and texture of this easy-to-make sourdough.
Prep Time45 minutes
Bulk Ferment & Proofing Time10 hours
Total Time10 hours 45 minutes
Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: 100% whole wheat sourdough, 100% whole wheat sourdough bread, fresh milled flour, fresh milled flour recipes, whole wheat, whole wheat sourdough sandwich bread
Servings: 12
Calories: 212kcal
Author: Holly Lee
Cost: $3

Equipment

  • Kitchenaid Mixer recommended for kneading
  • Bread Pan 9"x5" or similar
  • Grain Mill or other method for milling grain

Ingredients 

  • 500 grams whole wheat flour - 3 3/4 cup flour–if using fresh milled flour, mill hard red wheat berries
  • 300 grams liquid whey from yogurt (or water) - 1 1/4 cup
  • 100 grams sourdough starter - about 1/2 cup
  • 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
  • 3 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 3 tablespoon olive oil
  • 10 grams sea salt - 2 tsp

Instructions

  • If using fresh milled flour, mill your hard red wheat berries into a fine flour. Pour into a mixing bowl. Alternately, measure out 500 grams of bagged whole wheat flour (about 3 3/4 cup flour, give or take a tablespoon).
    500 grams whole wheat flour
  • Into the mixing bowl, add the whey, sourdough starter, egg and egg yolk, maple syrup, and olive oil. Mix until everything is combined. Cover and let this sit (fermentalyze) for 30 minutes. Measure out the salt and keep it near the mixing bowl so you do not forget to add it!
    300 grams liquid whey from yogurt (or water)
  • After the fermentalyze, sprinkle the salt on top of the dough and mix it in using the dough hook on your mixer (or work it in with your hands).
    1 egg + 1 egg yolk, 3 tablespoon maple syrup, 3 tablespoon olive oil, 10 grams sea salt
  • Knead until the dough is smooth, supple, and reaches "window pane", about 8-10 minutes. You may also choose to hand knead– the dough is a bit sticky, but it should not be goopy.
  • Let the dough bulk ferment in a warm place until it rises about 50% in volume.
  • Pour the dough out of the bowl onto a clean work surface. Flatten the dough into a rectangle about the length of your bread pan. Tri-fold the edges of the dough rectangle, then roll the dough up to shape into a loaf (see video if needed). Pinch the ends of the dough.
  • Place it in the 9"x5" bread pan seal-side down. Cover and do a second rise (proof) until puffy. I like to let it proof until the dough domes to the rim of the pan.
  • Toward the end of the proofing time, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  • Bake for 40 minutes or until the bread reaches an internal temperature of at least 190 degrees F. Cool completely before slicing.

Video

YouTube video

Notes

Store bread in an airtight container. For best results, eat within 3-4 days, but it should last up to 5-7 days if stored properly.
1) Be patient. The fermentation process takes time. For best results, the loaf needs to proof fully.
2) Push the proof. While it is possible to over-ferment your dough, don’t be overly concerned about it for a sandwich loaf baked in a loaf pan–the pan will support the bread as it bakes. Push the proofing time to make sure your loaf is nice and puffy before it goes into the oven.
3) Use a kitchen scale to weigh ingredients. While not 100% necessary, it is so nice not to dirty up a lot of measuring cups and it will help yield consistent results.
Nutrition information is calculated with a calculator and may contain errors. If precise nutrition facts are required, please do your own calculations to verify.

Nutrition

Calories: 212kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 335mg | Potassium: 173mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 43IU | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 2mg

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