Homemade Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread

Bread dough has always been my nemesis Two months ago I started a starter determined to finally overcome my fears. I’ve now made this recipe three times and I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect recipe. Thanks so much for this and for making me feel like a relatively decent baker.

This is the first sourdough bread I’ve made and after maybe 10 times I can say it works every time and it’s really impressive! I’ve followed your recipe almost religiously, the only modifications I tried were to use 50% whole meal flour and 50% high grade (250 gr each) with equally great results; and, at times, using some thyme honey blended with clover honey, which I used the first time when I ran out of clover honey and found it gave the bread an great, gentle thyme aroma. Have one in my oven right now and looks like another successful sourdough!

Great recipe! Love the bread. But with all bread I make I have to add less water (20 grams) because of living in a humid environment. Happy Baking!

I grew up eating lots of whole wheat bread and prefer it over regular white bread. It’s much more satisfying to me. I was a bit nervous to make this bread bc I’m still a beginner and learning about all the techniques. However, as long as you follow the instructions from this recipe, a beautiful loaf is pretty much guaranteed. My only deviation was baking it in a toaster oven, instead of a Dutch oven. Despite the crust not looking picture perfect, the crumb was very nice, with plenty of air pockets. I was actually shocked to realize I managed to bake an Artisan whole wheat Sourdough bread with not that much effort. The process was very satisfying and the outcome was delicious. Excited to try more of her recipes!

Hey! I absolutely love your whole wheat sourdough sandwich bread recipe! I love that I don’t have to knead by hand but can just use my mixer! It’s super simple. Do you have a recipe like it but that is more traditional sourdough loaf (not sandwich bread) that still has a good amount of protein & fiber? (Which may mean it uses wheat flour to achieve the fiber part?) I make your sandwich bread weekly now and my family LOVES IT! would love a more traditional Dutch oven recipe that uses the mixer too and some kind of fibrous flour (whole wheat ?)!!

Hi Amanda, Thanks for all you do (especially the fostering of fur babies)!
Could I put this recipe in a regular bread loaf pan to make sandwich slices? If so, would I bake same temperature, etc.?

Hi Amanda, I made this recipe and it was fantastic. The crust was the crunchiest I have ever made and the crumb was pretty good . My only issue is I didn’t get a rise after I took it out of the frig. this morning. it flattened out in the frig. When it proofed, it rose at least 50%, maybe more. Instead of all-purpose flour, I used bread flour. Would this be the reason it didn’t rise after baking? Thank you for your time.

Need it in cups not grams?

I have tried to make other bread in the past, and completely failed! Being skeptical, I followed this recipe to a T. The videos linked within helped tremendously. So happy to say my first loaf turned out amazing!! Will ONLY use this recipe from now on.

This recipe is a keeper. I use King Arthur’s 100% Stone Ground Whole Wheat and have mixed the rest of the flours up depending on what I have on hand (bread flour, all-purpose, white whole wheat, etc). I also swap the honey for maple syrup, b/c I’m vegan. It has always turned out great. The timing is always the thing that gets me. 4-5 hours after all the stretch and folds – plus the 8 hours overnight is awkward while working all the time. Still, it’s worth making the effort. I love this bread so much. Very much appreciate the recipe.

Can’t wait to try this out! Can I cold proof the dough for longer than 10 hours? I may not be able to bake my loaf until 15-16 hours after putting it in the fridge.

Does this only make one loaf? Usually when I use ~500h flour it makes two loaves. I also only have oval bannetons, would that necessitate any changes to make the dough fit?

This is my everyday sourdough recipe, i have been using it for almost a year, we love it so much! Thank you!

Hi! I’ve baked using your Everyday Sourdough recipe and first time trying this one. Thank you for your recipes! My loaves never turn out as brown as yours do in the photos, even if I leave them in for a little longer. What could be the reason?

I baked this today and it is absolutely delicious! Definitely recommend giving it a go. Thanks Amanda for another fabulous recipe.

This is the most approachable whole wheat sourdough recipe I could find! I typically make the everyday sourdough loaf, but wanted to mix it up and I’m so glad I did! The oval shaping method worked well and I was able to get a great ear. Thank you for all of the photos and helpful tips

i am not good at baking bread but then i tried this recipe. let me tell you, it turned out to be great, everybody loved it. Xoxo

This recipe is fantastic! I’ve modified it for altitude and to use mostly whole wheat flour, and it’s always so good. Your videos are so wonderful, too! Thank you!

I made this today with my relatively new starter and was incredibly pleased with the results. It is the first time my attempted sourdough has actually held its shape and not ended up falling apart when taken out of the banneton. The instructions were easy to follow and didn’t seem like an impossible process compared to other sourdough recipes. I will surely be making this again, thank you!

Thanks for the recipe and video! It turned out great! If I wanted it a little less “sour”, could I shorten the time of the rising in between folds? Would that work? Would the gluten not develop as well if I did this? Or would it not have enough rise time? Thanks!

Do you add milled flour into feeding your starter as well or just use all purpose and then add milled flour when making the bread?

I’m going to try the bulk rise and shaping the dough prior to fermentation as you suggest. I’ve been shaping the loaf after the fermentation process. Meanwhile I am wondering if you preheat the Dutch oven? I have been using a pizza stone with steam under it because the Dutch oven kept burning the bottom of the loaf.

As a first time bread maker, this recipe was fantastic! I couldn’t be more excited with the turn out. I was so excited to slice into it and to not only learn that it was soft but that it was edible as well (my friends have told me horror stories.) Thank you thank you thank you Amanda for providing such a wonderful guideline.