Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread Recipe (Easy And Delicious)

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Looking for a healthier alternative to store-bought bread? This easy and nutritious 100% artisan sourdough whole wheat bread recipe is perfect for beginners and made with simple ingredients.

close up on whole wheat sourdough slices

This no-knead Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread is made with just 5 simple ingredients. Throw in all the ingredients, mix it up, give the dough a few stretches and then let it rise overnight. It has a crispy crust and a soft interior with a slightly sweet nutty flavor. This wholesome sourdough whole wheat bread recipe combines the benefits of fermentation with nutrient-rich whole wheat flour for a powerhouse bread.

Benefits of eating whole wheat bread

Whole wheat bread is more nutritious than bread made with white flour because wheat bread contains all parts of the kernel. A wheat kernel has three parts, bran, endosperm, and germ. Whole wheat flour contains all three parts, whereas white flour is refined to change the texture and increase the shelf life by removing the bran and germ. However, removing the bran and germ also removes some nutrients. Whole wheat bread contains more fiber, vitamins, such as vitamin B, and minerals such as zinc and magnesium.

Ingredients for Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread

Active Sourdough Starter –An active sourdough starter refers to starter that was recently fed and is bubbly and doubled in size.

Whole wheat flour – I recommend using a hard red wheat flour.

Water – Tap or filtered water. Despite what some people say, I use tap water with no issues when baking sourdough.

Honey – Adds a touch of sweetness to the dough.

Salt – Any type of salt works.

view of inside of whole wheat sourdough bread

Sample Baking Schedule

This schedule is based on rough estimates. The temperature of your dough, kitchen, humidity, and strength of starter will all impact the times so while this will give you an estimate it is best to look at the signs the dough is ready to move on. You are looking for about a 75% rise. Using a marked container, like this Cambro container, makes it easier to see when this dough has risen by 75%, taking the guesswork out of it.

There is flexibility in this schedule to make it work for you. If 8am is not a good time to feed your sourdough starter you could do a smaller feeding like 1:1:1, 4-6 hours before mixing the dough. If you don’t get around to baking bread around dinner time you can always leave the dough in the fridge for an extra day or two. Do what works for you!

Steps (Note: this was my timing at a dough temperature of 72F)	Time
Feed sourdough starter 1:4:4 ratio (i.e. 10 g starter: 40 g flour: 40 g water)	8 am
Mix dough	7:00 pm
Stretch & folds	7:30 pm-8:30 pm
Shape	8 am
Final proofing in fridge	8:30 am-4 pm
Bake	4 pm

How Temperature Impacts Sourdough

Temperature is very important when it comes to sourdough and fermentation. If your house is cooler than 68F the dough will have a hard time rising. If your house is cold I recommend using a dough mat or finding a warmer spot in your house. Placing the dough in a draft-free area like a turned off oven or microwave may help or near a heating vent.

If your house is above 75F I wouldn’t recommend leaving the dough overnight as it is more likely to overproof. You can try using cold water to help cool down the dough and stick to a shorter timeline like 8 hours as that may help it from getting too warm.

How to make Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread

Feed Sourdough Starter

The first step to making bread is to feed your sourdough starter. The temperature of your house, activity level of your starter, and how much you feed the starter will all impact how quickly your starter rises. A 1:1:1 ratio meaning 1 part starter: 1 part flour: 1 part water will rise in about 4-6 hours. Whereas a 1:5:5 ratio meaning 1 part starter: 5 part flour: 5 part water will rise in about 12 hours. Feed based on the timing you want to make bread. Once the starter doubles or exceeds its size and becomes bubbly, it is ready for use. If you can’t use the starter while it is at peak place it in the fridge until you are ready.

Mix Ingredients

Mix together the whole wheat flour, water, salt, honey, and starter together with a danish dough whisk (10% off with link), spoon or hands until incorporated. The dough will look shaggy at this point. Cover bowl with a lid or dinner plate and let it sit for 30 minutes.

Stretch and Folds

Stretching the dough helps build strength and aerates the dough. Typically I aim to get 3 set in, waiting 30 minutes in between each set. You can also do more sets if you have time. Cover the dough in between sets.

To stretch and fold grab one side of the dough with a damp hand and gently shimmy the dough up and then fold it on itself. Repeat this 3 more times rotating the bowl 90 degrees each time.

First rise

After stretch and folds let the dough sit overnight on the counter covered, about 10-14 hours (depending on the temperature) until the dough has risen about 75%, not completely doubled. The dough should be aerated with bubbles showing on the sides and bottom of the dough and jiggle when the bowl is shook. If it does not show these signs continue to let the dough sit, preferably in a warm spot to finish bulk fermentation.

Shape dough

The goal of shaping is to create a taut, outer skin on the dough. The skin creates tension, helping the dough to hold its shape when baked, which translates to a good rise and a crispy crust.

Shaping instructions:

Dump the dough on an unfloured surface and gently spread the dough into a chubby rectangle.
Gently pull the bottom of the dough up, creating tension on the surface of the dough, and bring the dough on top of itself about halfway.
Fold one side of the dough up and over, bringing it two-thirds of the way onto the dough.
Fold the other side of the dough on top.
Starting on one side roll the dough on top of itself into a ball shape bringing the smooth side on top.
Take your hands in cupping shape and rotate the dough counter-clockwise towards you to get a smooth surface on top of the dough.
Using a bench scraper or your hands, flip the dough upside down into a banneton basket lightly floured with rice flour or well floured with all purpose. If you do not have a banneton, line a 9-10″ bowl with a floured tea towel and use that instead.
Cover the basket with something to keep the moisture in. Optional: pinch the seams together once the dough is in the basket to solidify the taut skin on the surface and tighten the ball.
To make an oval shape vs round on step 5 instead of one roll into a ball, roll the dough up like a cinnamon roll. Pinch the sides to seal them and then use your hands to gently pull the dough towards yourself to smooth the surface.

Second Proof

Place dough in the fridge covered for the final proof. The fridge slows down fermentation which allows your dough to sit for longer periods of time. You can bake anytime after the two-hour mark or after. Ideally, within 48 hours of placing it in the fridge. Longer fermentation times will make for a more sour loaf.

Scoring

Preheat the oven with the Dutch oven to 450F once the dough is ready. Flip the dough onto a bread sling or parchment paper and score the dough. Hold the blade at a slight angle and quickly slice the bread about 1/2 inch deep. This can be one line or multiple depending on your preferences. For more intricate designs hold the blade at 90 degrees and make shallow cuts.

Baking

Bake the loaf at 450F in a Dutch oven. Begin with the lid on for 25 minutes followed by an extra 15-20 minutes with the lid off. The loaf should sound hollow when you tap on the bottom. That is how you know it is baked through. Once done baking, remove from the Dutch oven and place onto a cooling rack to cool.

half a loaf of whole wheat sourdough sliced

Storing Sourdough Whole Wheat Bread

Store a whole loaf, or a side that can be placed cut side down with only the crust exposed, on the counter up to 2 days with just a tea towel over it. If the inside of the loaf is exposed I store it in a bread box or in a ziplock back.

Sourdough will not hold its crunch for extended periods of time but can be revived in the oven or toaster. To refresh a loaf preheat the oven to 450F. Run the loaf quickly under water and then place in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the crust is crispy again.

Sourdough bread also freezes really well. To freeze a loaf, either place the whole or half a loaf into a freezer safe bag or preslice the loaf and place parchment paper in between each slice before placing in a freezer bag.

To thaw, place the loaf on the counter for several hours in the ziplock bag. If you are in a time crunch I’ve used the defrost feature in the microwave to thaw my loaf. Once thawed, use the same refresh instructions as listed above. For individual slices, pulled from the freezer, pop it in the toaster.