I have been working on perfecting this fresh-milled sourdough bread recipe over the last several months, tinkering with the grains, hydration, and timing until I found the version my family and I like best. This is finally it and I’m so happy to be sharing it with you guys!
It is made with 100% freshly milled whole-grain flour, and the flavor is so amazing! Using flour in its whole form that you mill yourself brings so much depth and complexity that I never expected. My husband says he could never go back to white bread and I agree!
This recipe uses a combination of grains including hard red wheat, spelt, and khorasan. The hard red wheat gives the dough a strong base, while spelt and khorasan add additional flavor and lighten the loaf a little.
If you are new to fresh-milled sourdough, the most important thing to know is that the exact amount of water may vary. The grains you use, the fineness of your mill, and even the humidity in your house can change how thirsty the flour is. I encourage you to start with the 400g of water listed in the recipe and increase in small increments as needed.
The Grain Blend
Hard Red Wheat
Hard red wheat is the foundation of this loaf. It has the gluten-forming capability needed for sourdough bread and gives the dough the strength it needs to rise. Store bought all-purpose and bread flour are commonly made from hard red wheat, with most if not all of the bran and germ sifted away.
Spelt
Spelt is an ancient grain that has a different protein structure than modern wheat. It brings a lot of flavor to the loaf and softens the crumb.
Khorasan
Khorasan is another ancient grain. You may see it sold under the Kamut brand name, but khorasan is the name of the grain itself. It adds flavor and lightens the color of the loaf a little.
Why You Should Weigh Your Wheat Berries
I strongly recommend weighing your wheat berries with a kitchen scale instead of measuring them by volume. When you weigh the grains you end up with the amount of flour you need to make the recipe. However, if you use a cup to measure the grains, you will get more flour than you need for the recipe. It is much easier to just weigh them out first so you don’t have to deal with what to do with the extra flour.
My Best Tips
- Use active starter. It should be bubbly and recently fed.
- Give the flour time to hydrate. The autolyse helps the bran to soften and the dough becomes easier to work with. One hour seems to be the sweet spot, but anywhere from 20 minutes – 3 hours works.
- Do all four sets of stretch and folds. The early dough development makes a noticeable difference with whole-grain flour.
- Watch the dough, not only the clock for Bulk Fermentation. Temperature can change fermentation time. You should see lots of small bubbles all around the sides of the dough (see picture below) and the top should jiggle when you shake the bowl.
- Use a glass bowl. Bubbles and rising are much easier to see.
- Wait before slicing. A four-hour cooling period gives the crumb time to set, otherwise it can be gummy and no one wants that.
Two Baking Methods
Dutch Oven or Multi-Cooker – Shape the dough and put it in a 9×5 inch loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate for 3 hours before baking. After two hours, put your dutch oven or cast iron multi-cooker in the oven and preheat to 500 degrees F. When it’s time to bake score the loaf and using the parchment paper to lift the dough out of the pan and place it in the hot dutch oven or multi-cooker. Place the lid on and put it in the oven. Turn the temperature down to 450 degrees F and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for an additional 4-5 minutes.
Double Loaf Pan – Shape the dough and put it in a 9×5 inch loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate for 3 hours before baking. After two hours, preheat your oven to 500 degrees F. When it’s time to bake, grab two room temperature 9×5 inch loaf pans. Lift the dough out of the cold pan and place in one of the room temperature pans. Score the loaf and cover with the other room temperature loaf pan. Place in the oven and turn the temperature down to 450 degrees F. Bake for 40 minutes, then remove the top loaf pan and bake for an additional 4-5 minutes.
Fresh-Milled Sourdough Bread
Equipment
- 1 Cast Iron Multi-Cooker or Dutch Oven
- 1 Kitchen Scale
- 1 Large Bowl with a Lid
Ingredients
- 400 g hard red wheat
- 100 g spelt
- 50 g khorasan
- 400 g water add more as needed
- 11 g salt
- 75 g sourdough starter
Instructions
- The evening before you want to bake, weigh your grains and then mill them on the finest setting of your grain mill into a large mixing bowl.
- Add the water and mix to combine – I use my hands for this, but you can use a dough whisk or a mixer if you prefer. Cover and let sit for 1 – 3 hours at room temperature.
- Add the salt and starter and mix until combined and a smooth ball forms. Cover and let sit for 1 hour at room temperature.
- Do a series of 4 stretch and folds spaced out every 20 minutes. To stretch and fold the dough – lift the dough up and over itself 4 or 5 times around the bowl.
- After the last stretch and fold, cover the bowl and place it in a cool spot overnight (around 65℉). This should be about 8 or 9 hours. If you can't move on to the next step after that time, put the bowl in the refrigerator until you are ready. This picture here is what your dough should look like when bulk fermentation is complete.
- Once bulk fermentation is complete it is time to shape the dough. Line a 9×5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Put a little water on your countertop and turn the dough out onto it. Then pat the dough into a rectangle. Roll the dough up away from yourself to get a loaf shape. Pinch the sides and seam. Then place into the prepared pan seam side down. Cover or place in a 2 gallon ziplock bag and put it in the refrigerator for 3 hours.
- Put a dutch oven or multi-cooker in your oven and preheat it to 500℉. Set a timer for one hour.
- Take the dough out of the refrigerator and remove from the freezer bag. Score the loaf using a lame or razor blade. Lift the dough with the parchment paper and place it into the hot dutch oven or multi-cooker. Bake with the lid on for 40 minutes, take the lid off and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
- Cool the bread on a wire rack for at least 4 hours. Store the bread in a plastic bread bag for one week.
Notes
- Hard Red Wheat can be substituted with Hard White Wheat.
- To bake in a loaf pan, put the refrigerated loaf in a room temperature loaf pan and then cover it with another loaf pan. Bake as directed in the recipe.
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