Sourdough Bread With Whole Wheat

Sourdough with Whole Wheat

1 cup active sourdough starter

3/4 cups water

2 cups King Arthur white whole wheat flour

1 1/2 – 2 cups King Arthur unbleached flour

1 tsp sea salt

1.5 TBSP honey

2 TBSP oil

Pour starter into mixing bowl.  Add water, salt, oil, and honey.  Stir in the flour 1 cup at a time.  (I use a kitchen aid stand mixer and I usually dump in all the flour I’m going to use at once, now that I have more experience.  This seems to keep the sides of the bowl cleaner.)  After I have about 3 1/2 – 4 cups flour total, I mix it thoroughly with the kitchenaid.  Check the dough to see how sticky it is.  It should be tacky, but not get stuck to your hand too much.  Add flour as needed, very slowly, mix thoroughly, then recheck.  This takes a little practice to get the proper feel.  Once I get the proper consistency, I knead it for about 5 minutes.  Dust it with unbleached flour if you are kneading by hand.  You may need to knead it a little longer by hand, I’m not sure.  Coat the bottom of a bowl, preferably glass, with oil.  (Just a little oil, though)  After kneading form dough into a ball then, holding the ball in two hands, tuck the surface of the ball into the bottom of the ball.  This stretches the dough on the surface.  Don’t stretch it enough to tear it.  Place the smooth side of the ball into the bowl and coat with oil, then turn the smooth side up.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place.  I let the oven warm for one minute, then turn it off and place the dough in there.  During rising, re-warm the oven periodically for 30 seconds to a minute, but be careful not to forget to turn it off!  😉  After about 1 1/2 hours or until double, deflate the dough with your fist, knead and re-form into a ball as before.  Repeat this process again in about an hour, and again in another hour.  (Timing isn’t essential, just let it double each time it rises.)  Grease a loaf pan, preferably stoneware, with palm oil shortening.  Form the dough into a loaf and place in pan.  Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise to near the top of the pan.  (Properly risen dough should spring back when you press a finger into it.)  Place the loaf, in the pan, in the fridge overnight or longer.  I think up to a day is good.  (I have found now that just keeping in there a few hours seems to be enough, check how far it rises in the pan.)   Be sure it is covered well so the dough doesn’t dry out.  Put a “pleat” in the plastic wrap to allow it to rise a bit more, as it may in the fridge.  I add another layer of plastic wrap that covers the sides of the pan well, just to make sure it doesn’t come uncovered.

(Side note:  I have found over time that it is not necessary to use a warmed oven to raise the dough if I get it done early enough in the day.  It will rise at room temp for me (our house is about 65 – 70F in the winter) but it takes a LOT longer for the first rise.)

Preheat the oven to 350F.  If you prefer a softer crust, place a corningware or other small casserole dish filled with water into the oven.  When the oven is ready, remove plastic wrap from your loaf, slash the dough with a sharp knife down the center.  Place in the oven.  I bake mine on the bottom rack or the bottom crust comes out too light and the top is too dark.  Bake at 350F for 30 minutes , then check to see if the top is very brown.  If so, reduce temp to 325F.  If it is pale, increase temp to 375F.  Check again in 15 minutes.  Bread is done when it sounds hollow when thumped, or when a thermometer stuck in the bottom of the loaf reads about 190F.  (You would have to remove from the pan and turn upside down to check.)  I go by appearance and the thump.  If you had to adjust the temp you may want to use that temp for the entire cooking time the next time you make it.  I always bake mine at 325F.  Everyone’s oven is different though, and altitude may change things too.

Remove the loaf from the pan and place on a rack to cool.  Run a stick of butter over the top crust, then allow to cool for 10 minutes.  I then wrap mine in aluminum foil to allow it to cool while keeping the crust soft and the bread moist.

For optimal freshness, softness, and slice-ability, slice the loaf after 12 hours and freeze whatever is left.  Lay the slices flat when the initially freeze so they don’t stick together.