Whole Wheat Bread with Sourdough Discard
Whole wheat bread with sourdough discard is a pantry staple in our house. When I stopped buying bread and switched to making a lot of sourdough bread, I naturally had lots of discard. This recipe combines the best of both breads…whole wheat and sourdough discard!
I was hesitant about changing my kids’ bread from store-bought, to homemade sourdough, and then to whole wheat bread. So, I’ve been easing them into it! This whole wheat bread recipe with sourdough discard uses 50% whole wheat flour and 50% all purpose flour (plus the flour in the sourdough discard).
The results? My girls and I love it! My little carb addict actually eats her protein source now just to get an extra slice of bread. We are on the right track to better eating, better living, and better sustainability!
I know you’re here for the recipe, so let’s get to it!
Steps to Make Whole Wheat Bread with Sourdough Discard
It’s easiest to make this recipe with a scale. If you’re used to sourdough, odds are you should have a scale. Set it to grams and let’s go! If you don’t have a scale but plan to make a lot of bread, get one! My scale is super cheap and has worked great for 2 years. It’s worth the few dollars.
1: Using the bowl from your mixer, zero out the weight on your scale (press the “zero” or “tare” button to get the weight back to 0 grams).
2: Add 100 grams of sourdough discard (that’s sourdough discard that was fed, doubled in size, and then fell. It’s inactive starter), 275 grams of warm water, 8 grams (2 tsp) of active dry yeast, and 10 grams of honey to the bowl and stir.
3: Zero out the scale and add 225 grams of whole wheat flour, 225 grams of all purpose flour, and 9 grams (1 1/2 tsp) of salt to the bowl.
4: Using your dough hook, mix the above until it’s just combined.
5: Add 56 grams (1/2 stick) of room temperature butter, cut into pieces. Turn the mixer to speed 3 or 4 and mix for about 3-4 minutes, or until the butter has been fully incorporated, and the dough is no longer sticking to the sides. It will look like wet mess for a while, but it will come together.
6: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and let it rise until doubled, about 1-2 hours. Grease a bread loaf with butter, oil, or spray.
7: When the dough has about doubled, dump it out onto a very lightly floured surface. Flatten the dough out with your hands to form a rectangle. Next, fold the dough like a letter…right side into middle, then left side over right.
8: Take your “envelope” shaped dough, pinch the short side together, and place in the greased 13″x5″ tin, seam side down. If you have a standard 9″x5″ loaf pan, you may want to remove some of the dough (you can make 3 sandwich buns with the extra dough).
9: Loosely cover the dough in the tin with the same plastic (spray with non-stick spray or oil) and let rise until almost doubled, about 1 hour.
10: Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-40 min. I like a softer, lighter crust, so I stay closer to the 30 minute mark.
11: Using towels or oven mitts, give the pan a few shakes back and forth to release the bread from the sides of the pan. Then slowly turn the bread over and place on a cooling rack.
I love this whole wheat bread and am thrilled my girls and husband do, too. It has become my go-to bread for sandwiches and easy (aka lazy) breakfasts. I’ll be increasing the amount of whole wheat flour in sandwich bread to see how much I can get into my kids without them noticing. I’ll keep you posted and share the recipe when I’ve hit max whole wheat (hopefully 100%) consumption.
Do you wonder how to keep homemade bread from going stale? I loosely drape my bread in plastic wrap. Then, I wrap it in a dish towel and keep it in my pantry. My homemade bread has never gone moldy. It will get hard and stale, at which point I let it dry out completely. Then I’ll pop it into a blender and make bread crumbs. No waste!
If you are anything like me, you are slowly becoming more self-sufficient in your garden, kitchen, and home. Follow along on Instagram for simplicity in self-sufficiency as well as on Pinterest for lots of great backyard homesteading inspiration.
Let me know if you have any questions, I love to talk baking. If you’ve tried this whole wheat sandwich bread, I’d love to know!
We hope you’ll stop by again!
Whole Wheat Bread with Sourdough Discard
Ingredients
- 100 grams sourdough discard
- 275 grams warm water 1 and 1/5 cups
- 8 grams active dry yeast 2 tsp
- 10 grams honey 1/2 T
- 225 grams whole wheat flour 1 3/4 cups
- 225 grams all purpose flour 1 3/4 cups
- 9 grams salt 1 1/2 tsp
- 56 grams butter 1/2 stick
Instructions
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, weigh out the discard, water, yeast, honey and give it a quick mix with a spoon.
- Weigh in both flours and salt. Using a dough hook, mix until shaggy (about 1 minute). Scrape the sides of the bowl if there is still loose flour.
- Add in butter and knead 4 minutes on setting 3 or 4 of your mixer. It should form a ball and not be sticking the sides of the bowl. This can also be done by hand, but you'll want to make sure the butter is fully mixed in
- Cover with plastic and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Butter, oil, or spray a long sandwich loaf pan* and set aside.
- Once your dough has doubled, dump the dough onto a clean surface and flatten it with your hands. Roll the dough into a log and pinch the seam. Fold the ends under and pinch to seal. Roll the dough back and forth to seal the seams.
- Place the dough into a long loaf pan, seam side down, spray/grease your plastic wrap and cover again to let rise until almost doubled, about 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Take the plastic off, and bake for approximately 18-22 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven but leave the bread in the pan for about 10 minutes.
- Optional: When the bread comes out of the oven, you can take a stick of butter and swipe it over the top. This gives a nice shine and makes the crust that much softer.
- Gently ease the bread out of the pan and cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!
I never thought I would be able to make homemade bread – it seemed too daunting (and messy) . .. .but this was super easy and delicious!
I am so thrilled to hear that! Congrats on your achievement. I hope you keep making great successes with great bread:)