Whole Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread

    Ever since MiMi had a taste of my first sourdough boule, she has been begging for some of my starter.  Bertha and I were off to such a great start and MiMi wanted in on the friendship.  But sometimes good things come to those who wait.  I wanted to get a good feel for how to take care of Bertha before I gave some of her away.  That way when MiMi had questions, I had a little bit of an idea how to answer.  Plus the waiting just made her want it more!

   So for Mother's Day, I finally gave MiMi some starter.  That's right, there is a second generation out there.  She has been nicknamed granny.  Now that granny is getting used to her new home, MiMi is wanting some recipes to use her in.  So be forewarned, I will be sharing some of the favorite things I have made so far in the next few days.  Then likely more sourdough recipes here and there for a while.

   I can never just leave a recipe alone.  I always have to do a little tinkering along the way to make it fit my taste or cooking style.  Even though baking recipes are supposed to be set in stone, I have to mess with them too.  I wanted a recipe that would make great sandwich bread.  Airy and delicious, but with no gigantic holes to loose your filling through. I love using whole wheat flour when I bake and I wanted to use plenty of starter to get the nutritional value and some of the flavor. This bread is great toasted with an egg on top or delicious drizzled with honey.  Heck, Jax ate a piece straight from the bag this morning with breakfast.  Of course it isn't quite as soft as what you find in the bread aisle at the grocery store, but it is made completely from ingredients you can pronounce.  Besides, the kneading is good therapy!

Printable Recipe

Whole Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread

makes one 9x5" loaf

Ingredients:

2/3 cup warm water

3/4 tsp dry active yeast

1 cup sourdough starter (straight from the fridge is fine)

1 cup white whole wheat flour

1- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

1-2 tsp butter, melted

1. Stir together warm water, yeast and sourdough starter until the starter is dissolved.  Mix in whole wheat flour and let sit for 7-10 minutes to hydrate.
2. Sprinkle in salt and begin adding all purpose floue. Start by adding 1 cup of all purpose flour, stirring until combined.  Then add additional flour a little bit at a time until you have a shaggy bread dough. (The final amount will depend on the consistency of your starter and how humid it is.)
3. I like to start my kneading in the bowl to contain the mess, then turn it onto the counter once the dough comes together and starts getting a little elasticity.  You can use your preferred kneading method to knead the dough into a smooth ball, about 8 minutes.
4. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with a damp towel and let rise until doubled in size (about 1 1/2 to 2 hours).  
5. To shape the dough, pat it out into a rectangle.  Fold it in thirds, like you would a letter.  Then fold fold it in half, pinching together the seam. (Or use your favorite loaf shaping method.) Place seam side down in a greased loaf pan.
6. Cover with the damp towel and let rise for 1-1 1/2 hours or until it has risen over the edge of the pan.
7. Brush gently with melted butter, being careful not to deflate the dough.
8. Bake at 450 F for 10 minutes and then at 400 F for 25-30 minutes.
9. When finished baking, turn onto a wire rack and cool completely before cutting.