Whole Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread

This Whole Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread recipe is a perfect way to incorporate more whole grains in your diet while still enjoying a delicious, soft bread perfect for everyday sandwiches.

This recipe came to be as I was thinking of ways to create healthier versions of the food I love to make and eat. Since I’ve been making fresh sourdough bread all year, incorporating whole grain wheat seemed like a no-brainer. Turns out, it’s just as easy to make as regular while sourdough bread, and the wheaty taste is a wonderful welcome.

I’ve tried a similar recipe using rye flour and I absolutely love it as well. Since rye flour is supposed to help a premature starter develop a great colony of gut friendly probiotic bacteria, I experimented with it quite a bit in my early sourdough days.

In doing so, I learned that if I paid closer attention to texture and consistency of the dough than to exact measurements, I could learn more about what it takes to create a delicious loaf of sourdough bread, with a beautiful crumb and a soft texture. So, I took that same concept and applied it to whole wheat and voila! I’m officially never buying store-bought bread again.

Is sourdough bread healthy?

The short answer, yep it is! Besides using very few ingredients (which you can control the quality of!), sourdough uses natural bacteria to make bread rise and along the way it actually ferments the grains. This fermentation process produces tons of “good bacteria” which acts as a prebiotic for your gut which means that the fiber in the bread helps to feed the other “good guys” in your gut which eat the “bad guys” and keeps evil at bay in your intestines which is all super important for maintaining a stable, healthy digestive system. Make sense? Good!

The acid in the sourdough cultures also help to break down the gluten in the bread, rendering it easier to digest for many people who typically experience discomfort when consuming gluten. If you suffer from Celiac’s disease, sorry, you’ll still need to steer clear of sourdough bread, but for the majority of people who avoid gluten due to common discomfort, this may be a great option.

For more info on the health benefits of sourdough bread, check out this great article I found.

Can you talk about the sourdough bread glycemic index?

I thought you’d never ask! So basically, the glycemic index is a measure of how the foods we eat effect our blood sugar. It’s a 100 point scale where a score of 70 or higher causes a sudden spike in our blood sugar and a score lower than 55 represents a gradual increase.

A typical slice of white bread has a GI score of around 72, whereas a slice of sourdough bread is closer to 54, and a slice of whole wheat bread is lower yet at 51. By incorporating whole wheat flour AND the sourdough fermentation process, you can take advantage of not only a lower glycemic index, but all the gut-happy benefits that sourdough offers as well. Win-win in my book if you ask me!

Tools you’ll need:

One of the reasons I love making this bread is because, unlike artisan sourdough which requires a bit more hands on, you can pretty much toss everything in your Kitchen Aid which will do the kneading for you. Win win!

• Kitchen Aid mixer with dough hook attachment
• 2 Large loaf pans

How to make Whole Wheat Sourdough bread:

There are a lot of steps to this process, but don’t be intimidated. They’re actually quite simple and once you’ve done this a time or two, it’ll be like second nature. Promise!

Mixing dough and bulk ferment

1. First, combine your dough ingredients and 3 cups of the flour in your stand mixer bowl and mix thoroughly by hand.
2. Then add 3 more cups of flour and put the bowl on the mixer to do the rest of the mixing.
3. Start with mixer on low. Once all the flour has been incorporated add the remaining flour, one spoonful at a time until the dough starts the clean the sides of the bowl. (Check out my short video below to see this in action!)

4. Once there is enough flour to clean the entire bowl, turn the mixer up to medium speed and “knead” the bread for 7-10 minutes.
5. Take the dough out, and place it in a large oiled bowl. (This is the step where you can knead the dough if you’d like to. It should be super soft and silky, but not too sticky. Feel free to skip the hand kneading, but if you enjoy getting your hands in some dough, now’s your chance!)
6. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean tea towel and bulk ferment for 12-24 hours.

Shaping the dough for Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread

1. After bulk ferment is done, turn out dough onto a lightly floured countertop and separate into 2 pieces. Do each of the following steps to both pieces since this recipe makes 2 loaves.
2. Gently stretch the dough into a rectangle shape.
3. Fold up like a letter and let rest on the counter for 10-20 minutes. This is called a bench rest.
4. After bench rest is complete, flip dough over and gently stretch dough into a long rectangle.
5. Starting at the bottom, roll up and place seem side down into a parchment lined loaf pan.

Second rise and bake time

1. Cover with a damp tea towel and allow to rise in a warm place for 1-3 hours or until the dough doesn’t bounce back when you poke it.
2. Score the top with a lame or sharp knife into your favorite design. If you need some ideas, check out my FREE ebook that showcases my top 10 favorite bread designs.
3. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes.
4. Rotate bread and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 200°.

FAQ

Does this recipe make a soft sourdough sandwich bread?

• Does it ever! This recipe is our regular go-to sandwich bread and I make at one batch a week so we always have some on hand. The trick to slicing this super thin for sandwiches is to let the loaves cool completely and place them in a zip top bag overnight before slicing. This makes the crust nice and soft and easy to slice with a sharp bread knife.

Do I have to use a whole wheat sourdough starter?

• Nope, you definitely don’t have to. Since this recipe is made with both whole wheat flour and regular bread flour (or all purpose flour), whatever you typically use to feed your starter will be fine.

Can I use more/less whole wheat flour?

• Yep, you can! Try a couple different ratios of whole wheat flour to bread flour to see what you like best. The important thing is the consistency of the dough.

Can I use this recipe to make anything else?

• You sure can! In fact, this recipe is very similar to my recipe for Cinnamon Chip Sourdough Bread. You can also use it to make buns, rolls, or cinnamon rolls.

If you make this recipe and love it, I would love if you gave it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram
@leedsstreetcollective with your delicious creation.

Thanks so much for checking out the Collective!
– Sarah