Sourdough Wheat Bread
If you’re looking for a simple, flavorful, and beginner-friendly sourdough bread, this whole wheat sourdough loaf is for you! It has just the right balance of chewiness and softness, a hint of whole wheat for depth, and that signature sourdough tang.
Plus, while this recipe takes a little time, it’s mostly hands-off—so you can fit it into your life without feeling like you’re on a strict bread-making schedule. Bonus? It makes killer grilled cheese!
Why you’ll love this recipe
✔ Beginner-friendly – A great introduction to sourdough bread baking.
✔ Incredible texture – Soft, chewy, and flavorful with just the right tang.
✔ Flexible timing – While it takes about 30 hours total, most of that time is hands-off.
✔ Versatile uses – Perfect for sandwiches, toast, French toast, croutons, or even breadcrumbs!
After you try this recipe, you have to try your hand at San Fransisco style sourdough bread! It is easy and great for beginners but really brings out that classic sourdough tang! Another great one to try is
How to make this whole wheat sourdough bread
This recipe follows a slow fermentation process to develop deep flavor and a great texture, but most of the time is hands-off. Here’s a general breakdown of the process so you can plan ahead. For the full set of directions, please make sure you scroll down to the recipe card below.
Baker’s Schedule
Total Time: ~30 hours (but mostly hands-off!)
This bread follows a slow fermentation process, which means better flavor and texture—but don’t worry, it’s not complicated! Here’s a quick look at the timeline so you can plan when to start:
- Poolish (Pre-Ferment): 12 hours
- Mixing Dough: 20 minutes
- Bulk Ferment with Stretch & Fold: 3 hours
- Shaping: 10 minutes
- Final Proof (Overnight in Fridge): 8-12 hours
- Baking: 45 minutes
- Cooling: 2 hours
Tip: Work backwards from when you want fresh bread so you can start at the right time!
Step 1: Create a pre-ferment (Poolish or Levain)
A pre-ferment (like a poolish or levain) helps strengthen the dough and boost flavor. It’s a small mixture of flour, water, and sourdough starter that sits for 12-16 hours before you make the final dough.
Step 2: Mix the dough & let it rest
Once the pre-ferment is ready, it’s mixed with the rest of the ingredients to form the dough. Before kneading, the dough rests for about 30 minutes—this is called the autolyse, and it helps develop gluten naturally.
Step 3: Bulk fermentation + stretch & fold
Instead of kneading, this dough ferments slowly at room temperature while being gently stretched and folded every 50 minutes. This method strengthens the dough and helps build a great structure. The total bulk rise takes about 3 hours.
How do you know it’s ready? The dough should feel light, airy, and slightly domed with bubbles forming underneath.
Step 4: Shape & proof overnight
Once the dough has fermented, it’s shaped into a round loaf and placed in a proofing basket (or a lined bowl). The shaped dough rests in the refrigerator for 8-12 hours for a long, slow fermentation that develops even more flavor.
Step 5: Bake with steam for a crispy crust
The dough is baked in a hot oven with steam, which creates the crispy, golden-brown crust that makes sourdough so good. The easiest way to trap steam is by covering the bread with an inverted roasting pan or Dutch oven lid for the first 30 minutes.
Step 6: Let it cool before slicing
Patience is key! Fresh sourdough needs at least 2 hours to cool before slicing—this helps the crumb set and prevents gumminess.
Sourdough is better when shared
If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment and rating below.
Love and links are always appreciated! If you’d like to share this recipe, please link to the post directly for the recipe, please do not copy and paste or screenshot. Thank you so much for supporting me. XOXO – Jenni
Sourdough Wheat Bread
This whole wheat sourdough bread is simple and delicious! A perfect loaf for beginner bakers.
- Prep Time: 1 day
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 24 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
- Category: Bread
- Method: Bake
Ingredients
Liquid Levain
- 2.4 oz bread flour
- 3 oz water
- 1 oz sourdough starter 100% hydration
Final dough
- 12 oz bread flour
- 1.6 oz whole-wheat flour
- 7.4 oz water
- 5.4 oz Liquid Levain
- 0.6 oz salt
Instructions
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In a large bowl, mix together the ingredients for the liquid levain – the bread flour, water, and sourdough starter.
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Cover loosely and allow to stand at room temperature for 12 to 16 hours before preparing the final dough.
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Add all the ingredients for the dough (except the salt) in the bowl of an electric mixer.
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Mix on low speed (or by hand) just until they are combined into a shaggy mass.
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Cover the bowl and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
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Sprinkle salt all over and mix with the dough hook on second speed for 1 to 2 minutes (or knead by hand about 4 minutes).
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Let it rise at room temperature for 50 minutes, and stretch and fold the dough over on itself. Cover the dough back up.
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Let it rise for another 50 minutes.
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Stretch and fold the dough again.
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Let it rise for 50 more minutes.
Shape the Loaf:
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Shape the dough into a ball, place it with the seam up in a round container (bannetons are your best option) lined with a fine cloth.
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Transfer to the refrigerator for 8 to 12 hours for a final proof.
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Remove from the fridge an hour before baking to warm up. You want it to warm up but not get too warm and start rising again, so keep an eye on it.
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When it is almost room temperature its time to bake.
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Bake:
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Arrange your oven racks so one rack is at the bottom (for the bread) and one rack is at the top (for the steam). Place a stone baking sheet in the cold oven and then turn the oven on to 440 Degrees. Let the oven heat for an additional ten minutes after the pre-heat goes off (you want it nice and hot in there!)
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During this time get your steam ready. I do this by filling the lid of a roaster pan with boiling water to heat up.
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Carefully transfer the dough onto a piece of parchment paper. Use your lame to score the top of the bread. You can do whatever design you want.
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Place the parchment paper with bread on the preheated stone and quickly pour out the boiling water from the roasting pan lid and place the lid over the bread on the baking stone. (Remember to use oven mitts for the hot lid!)
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Bake covered for 30 minutes, then carefully remove the lid (don’t forget the mittens).
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Bake for an additional 15 more minutes to develop a golden brown color. You want a dark crust and internal temperature of at least 200F.
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Allow it to completely cool on a rack before cutting the bread (2 hours should be enough).
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Notes
Remember that the temperature of your house plays a factor in house a bread proofs – if your house is warmer, the timing will be faster. If your house is cooler, the timing could be longer. Watch your dough, not the clock!
