100% whole grain sourdough bread is rich, dense and moist. It has a full-bodied flavour that will remind you of chocolate, coffee and relaxing Sunday mornings. Whole grain sourdough is not only healthier, it also makes a really good sourdough culture.
So let go of the idea that 100% whole grain sourdough bread is just about the good-for-you-fiber, and embrace it as something that deserves its own recognition, as a bread that is meant to be noticed, tasted and enjoyed.
Experiment with different grains!
This recipe will work for any whole grain, gluten containing flour. However, the flavour and density of the bread will change depending on the flour you use. Also, the water to flour ratio may need to be adjusted depending on the type of flour.
Here is how to adjust the recipe for the particular type of flour.
- I created this recipe using 100% dark rye
. Since dark rye is heavy flour that is low in gluten, it results in a dense and moist loaf.
- Light rye is also lower in gluten, however the bran and germ have been removed, so the bread will be lighter.
- The water ratio in this recipe will also remain the same for barley
, kamut, einkorn
and emmer
(affiliate links.)
- Higher gluten flours usually absorb more water, so add an extra 1/4 cup of water. when making this bread with whole grain wheat
, spelt
or red fife
.
- For a white flour loaf of sourdough bread, try making pain de compagne instead.
. Since dark rye is heavy flour that is low in gluten, it results in a dense and moist loaf.
, 
and 
(affiliate links.)
, 
or
.Why not try this recipe with different flours or using a mix of flours to create your own perfect combination? I would love to know what flours you used and how the loaf worked out. Share in the comments below or on our Facebook Page!
100% Whole Grain Sourdough Bread
This 100% whole grain sourdough bread is a rich and delicious. It is perfect sliced fresh with butter or toasted for breakfast. It can be made with rye, barley, spelt or whole wheat. See the section above for more information.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 loaves 1x
- Category: Bread
- Method: Sourdough
- Cuisine: Eastern European
Ingredients
- 7 1/2 cups (31 oz) whole grain flour (see notes)
- 3 cups (24 oz) warm water
- 1 cup (7 1/4 oz) sourdough starter
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1/2 tsp instant yeast (optional, to improve the rise)
Instructions
- Warm the water to approx. 32-35 C / 90-95 F, and mix with the flour. Leave the flour to hydrate for 15-30 minutes.
- Using the pincer method, mix in the sourdough starter, salt and yeast. The dough should be stiff but not dry. If needed add a bit more water or flour.
- Allow to rise in a warm location until doubled in volume (about 5 hours). Use the dough folding procedure 3-4 times during this rise (see notes).
- Place the dough on a well floured surface and cut into 2 equal pieces.
- Gently shape the dough into a ball, using flour as needed, but avoid kneading.
- Place the dough balls in floured baskets, then place in an air-tight container and leave it in the refrigerator overnight. (I use bowls lined with floured tea towels with dinner plates on top of the bowls.)
- Preheat oven to 500 F (250 C).
- Bake for 30 minutes covered (if using a dutch oven) then cook uncovered until dark brown (about 20 minutes).
- Cool on a rack before slicing.
Notes
- This recipe was designed for lower gluten flours like rye and barley. When making it with whole wheat or spelt add 1/4 cup more water.
- This recipe requires an active sourdough starter. I recommend making your own rather than buying one. Rye is especially good at catching a sourdough culture. The extra yeast isn’t necessary if you have a very healthy sourdough starter.
- For more information on the pincer method and folding techniques read the basic sourdough bread techniques.
- I recommend baking in a cast iron dutch oven or a metal loaf pan as free form baking will result in a fairly flat loaf of bread.
Keywords: dairy free, egg free, vegan, fall, 10 ingredients or less, winter, red fife, spelt, barley, rye, kamut, einkorn, emmer
I wonder if I’m getting the quantities right Emillie – for the initial feed, it says 1 1/4 oz or 5 Tbsp, but when I weigh 1 1/4 ounce it is much less than 5 Tbsp. I end up with a very thick starter once I’ve mixed in the 5 oz water and 6 oz flour with the starter – it’s actually quite stiff. Is that right?
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Actually, I’m GF… so I consulted with my husband who regularly makes rye (and created this recipe). He says it should be stiff like firm cookie dough… however, all flours are different, so you may need to add more water depending on your whole grain flour. For example, a dark rye would need less water than a white rye.
He says that he does it a bit by feel. The next time he makes this I will take photos.
I’ve just rewritten the recipe to skip the initial feed of the starter by using a much larger amount of sourdough starter. As a result the ratio of flour to water will depend on how wet your starter is.
I have a starter that worked great with whole wheat flour or bread flour but I fed it with barley flour and it isn’t rising at all.. any thoughts? Not sure what to do..
Unfortunately, sourdough starters don’t like to change types of flour. I think each flour has their own type of culture. However, if you keep feeding the barley it should pick up in a few days. There won’t be as many bubbles as the wheat starter because of the lower gluten and less structure. However, it will smell sour and have some bubbles. Good luck!
Just wanted to share that I made this recipe recently in 2 loaf tins, to have something that’s easier to use for sandwiches. It worked really well. I put the dough in the loaf tins and then in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, I took them out a couple of hours before backing. I heated the oven to 425 and then turned it down to 375 when I put them in. Baked for about 45 minutes, and they were perfect. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks for sharing! Hope you and your family are doing well with the current social distancing. Be well, Emillie
Thanks, Emillie! We’re doing fine, and very thankful for all of the things that make it possible to stay at home and support the fight. Hope you and your family are doing well too!
Do you really bake the bread @ 500’F? Or do you start at that and then turn it down to say 350’F? I found that the bread burned @ 500’F so now I start at that, heat the Dutch oven at that temperature then reduce the heat to 350’F to bake the bread.
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The 500F is tricky as many ovens don’t heat as hot at that temperature. It sounds like you have a really good hot oven. Glad you found a way to make it work. Regardless, I will play with the temperature the next time I bake this bread (about once a month) and see if I can find a lower temperature that might work for everyone. Thanks!
Hi, I made this last weekend with whole grain spelt flour using also your recipe for the kefir sourdough starter. I added some lineseed and sunflower seeds and it turned out great! I only wish the crust was a bit more crunchy but I dont have a dutch oven and I think my dough might have been a bit too wet also. But definitely want to give it another try ! Does anyone else have experience with putting other things in, maybe walnuts might be nice as well? Or some seasoning like fennel or anis?
My French bread recipe includes some ideas for additions to this loaf. https://www.fermentingforfoodies.com/french-sourdough-bread/ My husband has only tried adding caraway to this recipe for a caraway rye bread. Enjoy!
What is the pincer method?
You can find details in this post on general sourdough techniques: https://www.fermentingforfoodies.com/basic-sourdough-bread-technique/ Enjoy!
Made this with stone ground whole wheat only and added a little molasses, and did end up adding a little water as suggested in the notes. I only made one loaf, so that I could tell if I wanted to change anything. I also turned down my oven (to 450 degrees) when I put the bread in.
It came out beautifully! Perfect crust and crumb. I will add more molasses next time, and maybe try it in loaf pans.
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The molasses is a good addition. I’ll try that sometime soon. Thanks for the suggestion!
Hi I have made this recipe twice now. Both times turned out great. I followed the recipe pretty much exactly. I have a 100% hydration whole wheat starter and then used a combo of whole wheat and sprouted spelt for the flour. I used regular loaf tins and baked at 500 degF for 30 min and then covered with foil for about 15 min at the end so the bread wouldn’t burn. Worked fine. I don’t think my oven gets as hot as says. I used the exact weights as listed. Question though…I did not do the refrigeration step either time. What does that step do?
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Glad the recipe worked for you! The refrigeration is not necessary. However, it helps with flavour development. Since the cold temperature slows down the yeast, it gives the bacterial cultures in sourdough a chance to multiply.