Donna’s Sourdough Bread
1 cup of vigorous sourdough starter – 9 oz
1 cup of warm water – 8 oz
¼ cup oil
¼ cup honey
2 teaspoons Celtic sea salt - (this will be added after mixing the dough)
4 cups of white whole wheat flour – 18 oz
If mixing with dough mixer, process just until ingredients are mixed together. If mixing by hand, stir ingredients until they are just mixed together. Let the dough rest for ten minutes. This is called autolyse. This resting helps the gluten strands to absorb the water and start to develop. It is a very important step for the right consistency of your dough.
After the ten minutes are up, it is time to sprinkle in the salt. The salt is added after autolyse because salt toughens the gluten and makes it harder for the water to be absorbed. So sprinkle in your salt and then turn on your mixer and process for 3 minutes. If mixing by hand, stir together the dough with a wooden spoon for three minutes, or get your hands in the bowl and mix for 3 minutes.
Leave the dough in the mixing machine (or mixing bowl if doing by hand) and put a cover over it. Let the dough sit in the bowl for five hours at room temperature, which should be around 70 degrees.
After five hours the dough has about doubled and is moist and sticky. Stir the dough down with a couple of turns of your mixer, or if mixing by hand stir the dough down with your wooden spoon. The gluten is pretty well-developed now and the dough is stretchy. Pour the dough out on a lightly floured surface.
Fold the edges to the middle all around. This helps get the dough into a rough shape of a ball. Dust the dough with flour and using the fingertips of both hands, start folding the outer parts of the dough to the middle. Turn the dough around and do this all around the piece of dough until you get it into a ball shape. Don’t use large amounts of flour to do this but keep enough flour on the dough to prevent it from sticking to your hands.
To make a round boule shape take your hands and place them on both sides of the boule, making sure you have some flour on the surface so your hands don’t stick to the dough. Then turn the boule in a counterclockwise direction, shaking it gently from side to side at the same time to encourage the dough ball up off of it’s flat condition and into a more tightly wound dough ball. Do this just a little bit like three or four turns. Forming a round ball. It doesn’t matter if you get it exact,
Put your round boule into an approximately 8 ” diameter glass/ceramic baking dish or bowl which is ovenproof and is greased and sprinkled with Cornmeal or Semolina flour. Sprinkle a little cornmeal or Semolina flour over the surface of your dough, so the cloth won’t stick to the dough, and then put a damp cloth over the dough and bowl.
Then allow the dough to proof for approximately 2.5 hours or until double and nicely proofed. Make sure your oven is well preheated to 450 degrees when the dough is ready to go in at the end of the 2.5 hours.. When the 2.5 hours is up and your oven preheated, slash the top of the dough with a sharp knife or lame. Put the proofed dough in its baking pan or dish into the preheated oven (450 degrees) for the first five minutes. After the five minutes is up, turn the oven down to 425 degrees and bake the bread for another 25 minutes, turning the loaf halfway for even browning. Remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack.
Sourdough step by step pictures. More detail in the instructions above.
Mix your sourdough just until ingredients are mixed together.
Step 1
Let it rest for 10 minutes and add the salt and mix again for 3 minutes.
Step 2
Leave the dough in the mixing machine (or mixing bowl if doing by hand) and put a cover over it. Let the dough sit in the bowl for five hours
Step 3
After five hours the dough has about doubled and is moist and sticky. Stir the dough down with a couple of turns of your mixer, or if mixing by hand stir the dough down with your wooden spoon. The gluten is pretty well-developed now and the dough is stretchy. Pour the dough out on a lightly floured surface.
Step 4
Fold the edges to the middle all around. This helps get the dough into a rough shape of a ball. Dust the dough with flour and using the fingertips of both hands, start folding the outer parts of the dough to the middle. Turn the dough around and do this all around the piece of dough until you get it into a ball shape. Don’t use large amounts of flour to do this but keep enough flour on the dough to prevent it from sticking to your hands.
Step 5
Put your round boule into an approximately 8 ” diameter glass/ceramic baking dish or bowl which is ovenproof and is greased and sprinkled with Cornmeal or Semolina flour. Sprinkle a little cornmeal or Semolina flour over the surface of your dough, so the cloth won’t stick to the dough, and then put a damp cloth over the dough and bowl.
Step 6
Then allow the dough to proof for approximately 2.5 hours or until double and nicely proofed.
Step 7
Make sure your oven is well preheated to 450 degrees when the dough is ready to go in at the end of the 2.5 hours.. When the 2.5 hours is up and your oven preheated, slash the top of the dough with a sharp knife or lame. Put the proofed dough in its baking pan or dish into the preheated oven (450 degrees) for the first five minutes. After the five minutes is up, turn the oven down to 425 degrees and bake the bread for another 25 minutes, turning the loaf halfway for even browning. Remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack.
Donna’s Sourdough Bread
Where did you find your adorable pitcher/bowl that you bake the sourdough in? I love it!
I got it as a gift from my cpa for my birthday.
Okay, i just had to ask. Where did you get the pitcher/baking dish! i LOVE IT and would love to get one to bake my sourdough in!
Hannah
I got from my CPA as a present. She got it off of QVC and it came in three sizes. I love those bakeware dishes!
I have to be honest..I am a little afraid to try this. So far, every whole wheat bread recipe that I have tried so far, has not worked out very well. The problem is the rise. we use freshly ground white winter wheat berries. I am using a Wondermill Junior…grind it through two passes to get a nice fine flour. The other recipes that I have tried were just regular whole wheat bread…and didn’t call for added wheat gluten nor dough enhancer…nothing. So, I am thinking of trying this recipe. Where do I order the starter for this?
You can get the starters here. I use the whole wheat starter. http://www.culturesforhealth.com/starter-cultures/sourdough-starter.html
Can you please explain, “vigorous starter” and directions on how to make it? I am excited to try this even with regular whole wheat flour. I have learned so much from you, thank you:)
It just means one that has been activate and fed. Here is a post to help you. http://www.culturedfoodlife.com/how-to-care-for-your-sourdough-starter/
Hi, I am allergic to wheat. is there anything i can use to substitute the wheat products in your recipe with? thank you!!
Here is a link that should help you. .http://glutenfreesourdough.blogspot.com/
Hi Donna. I am really enjoying your recipe. It makes a terrific loaf For Sandwiches….alas! One of my children doesn’t like the sweet taste of honey in it though? Would this work without honey….maybe replaced with extra starter?
You can leave the honey out if you like. Would still work great!
Can I use almond flour or cocunut flour as I am gluten -free
It really won’t work with these but I have seen gluten free sourdough bread info on this page that could help.http://glutenfreesourdough.blogspot.com/
LOL… I used to make sourdough when the kids were young… no other way to get that sweet and sour tang of still warm sourdough bread fresh from the oven and drizzled with honey. I have developed problems from gluten and didn’t realize that sourdough would ‘neutralize’ the gluten effect. Going to try it and see, otherwise, I might look into making my own sprouted bread. Can you dry the sprouted grains in an open oven set on lowest possible? we have made fruit leather that way before, so just wondering. Do have a drier but no leather tray for it.
If you temperature of your oven is below 120 degrees you can, but most ovens aren’t. I tried it once at a higher temp but it cooks the grains and then the bread won’t rise.
Donna what oil do you use? And I am looking forward to your post on the longer rise Dough that you put in fridge. I use rye flour for my starter, what are u using for a starter flour?
I use olive oil or coconut oil. I use white wheat flour. I keep changing my recipe to make it better and finding little tricks, I will try and post it soon.
With the coconut oil, it is usually solid, do you melt it first or put it in in its solid form and it just incorporates itself?
You can do this or soften it.
Donna, I’ve been starting to bake my own whole wheat bread instead of buying it, and I have always been interested in consuming more cultured foods. I’m really excited about trying this recipe- I will let you know how it goes! Thank you, Becca
Let me know if you need help Becca. Doesn’t surprise me one bit that you are making your own bread. There aren’t to many things I think you can’t do and be great at!
I will have to try your recipe next week, when my starter is ready again. I tried the NT recipe for sourdough bread today, and it turned out bad. It did not rise at all and I left it to rise for 10 hours. I went ahead and cooked it thinking maybe it would rise some in the oven. Nope. It was hard and really sour salty taste. I don’t know what I did wrong. I fallowed the recipe they gave. Hopefully I will have better luck with your recipe. I have been making traditional whole wheat bread for years with no problem, but my first attempt at sourdough, and it is a flop.
It is really in the strength of your starter that makes the difference. Make sure your starter is active and strong. http://www.culturedfoodlife.com/how-to-care-for-your-sourdough-starter/
Could this be made in a standard bread pan rather than a round dish?
Absolutely, you can use what ever you like or have in your home.
I just made this bread today. However, I started it late last night so did let it rise on the counter (65-68 degrees) for about 10-11 hours over night. Then put it in bowl, let it rise and baked at 375 for 70 minutes. I don’t preheat the oven but stick it in the oven when it’s cold and turn it on. I have to cover it with foil to prevent burning but it was done nicely and my hubby said he really liked the crust on this. He has complained about crust being too tough and chewy on other sourdough recipes. QUESTION: I measured out 1/4 cup oil and 1/4 cup honey and also weighed them and they are not 8 oz. Nor is 1/4 cup 8 oz so am a little confused by this….could you explain what the “8 oz” means in those two measurements? Also the 18 oz of flour (4 cups) was closer to accurate but it seemed like a LOT of flour for the dough. I did it by hand but it was never a sticky dough. I used fresh ground white winter wheat berries I believe. I felt like it was almost too much flour for the recipe. Found a remedy that suggested baking bread with the cold oven from the start and it seems to work for any of the recipes. Any comments or thoughts on that? Thanks. Love your website!
You are so right 8 ounces is not 1/4 of a cup. I will have to correct this. You can always leave out a little flour, if it seems like to much and not sticky. Every bodies flour is slightly different and it should be close to that amount but you can adjust it if it feels like to much. I use a mixer and it does tend to incorporate things a little different.
I love that you made it with a cold start in the oven. It is a nice option and does make a difference in the crust. Did the center come out ok? Not to doughy was it?
We have an intolerance to wheat (gluten?) but I am hoping that we can handle either sprouted wheat or sourdough. Do you use sprouted wheat when making sourdough bread or just regluar flour? What would be the gentlest on our digestive system?
You don’t need to use sprouted flour to make sourdough bread because the sourdough culture does the same transformation to the flour. Sourdough that is fermented for a longer period I think is the best. I am writing up an article on a longer rise ( I do it in the fridge) sourdough bread. The longer it rises the easier it is to digest. You need to do it in the fridge because it breaks down to quickly on the counter. Stay tune for a post on it.
I have a gluten issue also but can eat sourdough made with spelt and now my new favorite; einkorn!
I eat it sparingly…more like a treat now and then so maybe that is why it works for me. I shall try this recipe.
Will this recipe work with regular hard red winter wheat? I have tons of it.
Yes, you can use regular red winter wheat.
I’ve been looking for a good sourdough recipe. I know yours will be! Thanks for posting it!
I admire your work , thankyou for all the informative blog posts.