Wholemeal Sourdough loaf Recipe
The secret to a great wholemeal sourdough is a really robust leaven, great wholemeal flour and a good rise. You need warmth for your yeast to reproduce, so I use my water at 30 degrees and keep the dough temperature about 25 degrees. The sourness is best developed in the fridge, slowly once the dough is risen.
Equipment:
- A large mixing bowl
- A round cane
- 2 clean tea towels
- A baking stone or a Dutch oven or La Cloche
- A large heatproof pan, a sharp knife or ‘lame’ to slash the dough with
Ingredients:
- 350g water
- 100g wholemeal sourdough leaven (‘starter’)*
- 250g of stoneground organic wholemeal flour
- 250g organic strong white flour
- 11g fine sea salt
- 25g rice flour mixed with 25g of stone ground white flour (for dusting your banneton)
- Semolina to dust the bottom of the baking surface
- Makes 1 loaf
Directions:
Early morning (8am)
In a large bowl whisk your water and starter and mix well. Add all the flour and mix until all the ingredients come together into a large ball.
Autolyse by covering with a clean damp cloth and let the dough rest on the side in the kitchen for one hour
Fold
9:30am
Wet your hands in a little water, shake off the excess then lift and fold your dough over, do a quarter turn of your bowl. Rest for 20 minutes then add the salt to 20ml of water and mix into a saline solution. Add to the dough. Dimple your fingers in the dough and leave the solution to be absorbed by the dough for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes stretch and fold again then repeat three more times at 40-minute intervals. Be gentle on the last stretch and fold. Rest for 20 minutes.
12.30pm
Dust the dough lightly with flour and turn out onto a lightly floured work surface. Very gently shape the dough into a ball then place into a round banneton dusted with flour (If you don’t have a banneton then use a clean tea towel dusted with flour inside a colander). Dust the top with flour, and then cover with a damp tea towel
Prove
Leave your dough to one side for an hour to rise by about 20%. Test by gently pressing down and look for the dough to still answer back.
By about 1:30pm – 2pm cover and transfer to the fridge.
Bake
The next morning preheat your oven to 220°C for at least 30 minutes before you are ready to bake. Place your cloche or baking stone in the oven and a large pan of boiling water underneath (or use a Dutch oven). The hydration helps form a beautiful crust.
Once the oven is up to full heat, carefully remove the baking stone from the oven, taking care not to burn yourself dust with a fine layer of semolina, which stops the bread sticking, then put your dough onto the baking stone and slash the top with your blade. This decides where the bread will tear as it rises. Bake for an hour.
Turn the heat down to 180°C (and remove the lid if you are using a Dutch oven) and bake for another 10 -15 minutes. You need to choose just how dark you like your crust but I suggest that you bake until it is a dark brown – it tastes much better.
Storage
Sourdough is really best left to cool completely before slicing and is even better if left for a day to let the full flavour develop.
Once your sourdough has cooled, store in a linen or cotton bread bag, or wrapped in a clean tea towel.
Note: if you don’t like a crunchy crust on your sourdough bread, simply wrap your bread in a clean tea towel whilst it is still warm.
* To make 100g of wholemeal leaven, use 2 tablespoons of sourdough starter, 50g of filtered water and 50g of wholemeal flour, mix well and leave, covered on the side in the kitchen in the morning. It will be lively and bubbly and ready to bake with in the evening. More advanced recipes and tips are available to members of the sourdough club, and a very in depth explanation is covered on our sourdough courses.