Whole Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread
With just 7 simple ingredients, you can make delicious homemade sourdough whole wheat sandwich bread. This soft yet hearty loaf is packed with flavor, and it easily beats any store-bought bread. Use 100% whole wheat flour for a healthy, rustic loaf, or mix in bread flour for a taller, lighter texture. Perfect for sandwiches, this sourdough bread recipe is a must-try for any bread lover!
- Prep Time: 4-6 hrs for your Sourdough Starter to come to peak
- Fermentation: 4hr Bulk Proof + 8hr Cold Proof + 2 to 4hr Final Proof
- Cook Time: 40 min at 350F
- Total Time: 18-20hrs
- Yield: 1 Whole Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Loaf 1x
- Category: Sourdough Baking
- Method: Bread Baking
Ingredients
Preferment
- 195g water
- ⅓ cup (80ml) whole milk
- 100g active sourdough starter
- 210g whole wheat flour
Dough
- 70g honey
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar)
- 173g whole wheat flour
- 1 ¼ tsp salt
- 3 Tbsp (43g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
Instructions
Step 1 – Prepare Preferment
- Mix your ingredients together
- Use active sourdough starter
- Use when doubled
Step 2 – Mixing your ingredients together
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To a stand mixer, mix all of the ingredients in the order you see me listing it above
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Mix until the sourdough dough is stretchy and smooth
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You want it to pull away from the sides of the mixing bowl and be smooth and elastic
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Takes around 10 minutes on level 4 (mixer might be dancing)
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IF it’s been a while and the dough is not coming off the the sides or bottom,
-
stop the mixer and scrape the sides and bottom with your plastic bench scraper, continue mixing
- You can also pause and give the mixer a rest if needed, this resting period will let the gluten relax and strengthen
- Continue mixing until dough comes together and you have a windowpane
-
Don’t stress if not completely coming off the sides –it’s okay, it will be soft, tacky and a little sticky, but still should be able to handle
- DO NOT ADD MORE FLOUR
Step 3 – Bulk Fermentation/Room temp proof/1st Rise
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Take the dough out with your plastic bench scraper
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Shape the dough into a taut ball
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Put it in a bowl, cover
-
Room temp proof for 2 hrs
Step 4 – Optional – Cold proof/2nd Rise
- Cold proof in your fridge overnight (roughly 8hrs at 36F, max 12hrs)
Step 5 – Shaping
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Shape the sourdough dough by rolling the dough flat into a rectangle
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Then simply roll it up into a log
- Pinch the seam a little
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Place the log into a parchment lined or buttered loaf pan
- Cover lightly so it doesn’t dry out
Step 6 – Room temp proof/Final Proofing
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Final proof at room temp for 2-4 hours, or until *almost* doubled
- Optional – egg wash the top and sprinkle some oats on top
- Note – If skipping cold proofing, proof for 1hr or until *almost* doubled
Step 7 – Baking
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Bake at 350F for 45 min, or until golden on top
- Wait at least 30 min before slicing
Notes
The Land Of Milk & Honey:
For best results, use WHOLE milk and instead of other milks.
And honey instead of sugar.
Fats will give you SOFTER bread and honey give you better tasting bread. Trust me.