Start this process the night before you plan to bake the loaf. In a large bowl, add the water, starter, and flour. Mix well, then let the dough rest for 20-30 minutes to soften the bran and germ.
Add in the oil, honey, and salt.
Knead for 10 minutes. You may add a small amount of flour (2-3 tablespoons) if the dough seems very sticky, but be cautious about adding too much. If you’re using a stand mixer, knead for 15-20 minutes. (Mary uses speed 2 on her mixer for this.)
Place the dough in a greased bowl for bulk fermentation (aka first rise). Cover with plastic wrap or a wet kitchen towel. Rest on the counter at room temperature overnight. (If your house is cool, place the bowl in a warm place.)
The next morning, turn the dough onto a floured surface. Pat it out gently into a rectangular shape. Gently roll the dough up into a loaf shape. (If the dough is sticky during this step, I prefer to handle it with wet hands rather than adding more flour.)
Place the shaped loaf into a greased 9×5-inch pan. Cover with a tea towel and set it aside in a warm spot for the second rise. It’s ready when it begins to peek over the top of the pan.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Brush the top of the dough with an egg wash (this step is optional but yields a lovely golden brown crust).
Bake for 40-45 minutes until deep golden brown. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then carefully remove it to a cooling rack.
Notes
You can control the sourness of your loaves with temperature. A cold fermentation yields sourer bread. A quick, warm fermentation time yields a milder tasting bread. If you’re very adverse to sour flavor, consider investing in a proofing box so you have more control over the dough rise temperatures and fermentation time.
You can use store-bought whole wheat flour for this recipe; just fluff it with a fork first. Freshly-ground flours haven’t settled, so they are light and fluffy. Since this recipe measures by volume, not weight, exact amounts vary a bit.
If you prefer the exactness of cooking by weight, here’s another whole wheat bread recipe from Mary that uses grams.
This recipe will be most consistent with standard wheat berry varieties (think hard red wheat or hard white wheat). However, it’s very possible to use spelt or einkorn for delicious 100% whole wheat breads. That said, Einkorn especially is a very different process. If you plan to use freshly-milled einkorn, allow the dough to ferment overnight. Don’t knead einkorn dough—just roll it out and fold it back over itself a few times. Einkorn has the weakest gluten structure, so you must handle it carefully. I recommend starting with standard wheat flours, then experimenting with einkorn as you gain confidence and experience.
You don’t need an official whole wheat sourdough starter for this recipe. Any starter will do!
