Traditional Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread

Since many of our recipes to this point have been Gluten-free, I thought it was time to start uploading all our Gluten-FULL recipes as well. What better recipe to start with than a basic recipe that has an abundance of potential: My Traditional Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread recipe.

This recipe is one I have used for years and uses only the basic storage ingredients. The nice thing about this recipe, too, is that if you are running low on salt or sugar, even oil, you can eliminate those and still come up with a halfway decent loaf of bread. I will say that the touch of sugar and salt do give it an added flavor, and the oil just makes the dough generally softer. Yet it can be made with just the starter, water, and added flour.

This is a great recipe to use for making so many other goodies including soft pretzels, cinnamon rolls, sticky buns, or dinner rolls. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination. In fact, as I type this blog and tie up the loose ends on the recipe, a batch of Garlic Knots and loaf of Challah Bread for Sabbath are rising on the stove for nashing on during meals this weekend.

What will YOU use it for?

Blessings,  Judith


Traditional Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread
Yield: 2 nice loaves or 2 batches of rolls

1 - 1 1/2 Cups sourdough starter
1 3/4 cup water
1 tsp salt
3 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp oil (I prefer Olive Oil)
6-8 Cups of Whole Wheat Flour

Mix together the starter, water, salt, sugar, oil, and 2 Cups of the whole wheat flour. Mix well with a spatula or wooden spoon. Add more flour as needed and mix well. Continue adding flour until it can no longer be stirred in with your spoon or spatula. Sprinkle flour out onto the counter top where you will be kneading the dough. Pour the dough onto the floured counter, sprinkle more flour on top of dough. Mix with hands and add more flour as needed to make a soft, but not too sticky dough. You should be able to easily knead the dough without it sticking too much to your hands - this should not take more than 2-4 minutes.

Keep extra flour close by as it may be needed to keep the dough from sticking to your kneading surface. Set your timer for 10 minutes and knead the dough for a full 10 minutes for the best consistency. This is a great workout for your arms! Yes, ten minutes really is needed to fully release the gluten in your whole wheat dough! There are times I even feel the need to knead for an additional few minutes to ensure the elasticity of the dough.

When the timer goes off, shape your dough into the final product. Allow to rise for the amount required in the recipe for your final product. This could take from 1-7 hours, depending on final product and temperature of the room - a cooler room will take longer), or until nicely doubled. Please alot for this amount of time before serving in your prep time - in other words, if you want bread for breakfast and it's chilly in the house, make sure to make it up the night before to allow for proper rising time before baking a fresh hot loaf for morning!

Loaves: Cut the dough in half before rising. Shape into loaves and place into greased loaf pans. Allow to rise until double, usually about 4-7 hours for loaves. Bake in a preheated 375 F oven for 40-45 minutes. Brush with olive oil or butter, allow to cool slightly before removing from pan. Cut, serve or store.

NOTE: I often split the batch and use 1/2 to make pretzel nibs and 1/2 to make rolls or a loaf of bread!


Recipe Is Great For:

Soft Pretzels!
Bagels
Cinnamon Rolls
Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Garlic Knots
Cloverleaf Rolls
Dinner Rolls
Hamburger and Hotdog Buns
Sandwich Rolls
Pizza Crust

Whatever your imagination can come up with!!!  Possibilities are endless!

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Need an awesome recipe for sourdough starter?