I remember vividly the last time when I played around with new flour, it was a disaster. All the bread came out flat. (check my secret weapon for sourdough baking to see how I fix the problem) In the end, I overcame the challenge and learned something new from that experience. This time, I tried a sourdough recipe that uses both wholemeal flour and white flour. The result? They are beyond amazing in terms of the flavor, the texture and the taste.
What’s the difference when baking with wholemeal flour?
Wholemeal flour contains bran and germ, which is removed from white flour. The bran is the outer shell of the wheat that provides fiber, minerals and vitamins. The germ is full of antioxidants, acid fats and vitamins. Both carry a good deal of nutrients for the grain to sprout and grow. So when you open a bag of whole wheat flour, you could see those little pieces that are light brown in color. They are bran and germ.
The first challenge to baking with whole wheat flour is the pieces of bran and germ may cut gluten strains during mixing, which would interfere with the development of the gluten network. That’s why wholemeal bread doesn’t get as good oven spring as its counterpart white bread does and loaves made with whole wheat flour are usually denser.
Next is the different levels of water absorption. Wholemeal flour absorbs more water than white flour. That is to say, with more percentage of wholemeal flour in your sourdough, the hydration should increase accordingly. Otherwise, you would get a stiff dough and a denser final product.
Another challenge is that using wholemeal flour would accelerate yeast activities due to plenty of nutrients and enzymes present in flour which helps fasten the breakdown of starches into sugar. Knowing when to finish bulk ferment and move on to the pre-shape stage is critical. Or you may run a risk of having an over-proofed dough.
But worry not, making sourdough should be fun and relaxing. And don’t forget that practice makes perfect so let’s have fun with it.
Beginner-friendly wholewheat and white sourdough recipe
| weight | ingredient | baker’s percentage |
| 400g | baker’s flour (12.5% protein) | 80% |
| 100g | wholewheat plain flour | 20% |
| 5g | diastatic malt powder (optional) | 1% |
| 400g | water | 80% |
| 150g | starter | 30% |
| 10g | salt | 2% |
| total 1065g |
Workflow
| Day 1 | |
| 14:20 | With a paddle attachment: mix both flour, diastic malt and water (save about 40g for later) until a dough forms. Cover with a tea towel and rest for 30 minutes(autolyse). |
| 15:00 | Change to a hook attachment. Add sourdough starter and half of the remaining water to the dough and continue mixing until all water is absorbed. |
| Add salt and the rest of the water to the dough and resume mixing until medium gluten develops. Windowpane test. | |
| 15:15 | Bulk ferment starts. Perform 4 coil fold sets with intervals of 30 minutes. |
| 19:30 | Pre-shape the dough into two balls. 530g*2 Bench rest for 30 minutes. |
| 20:05 | Final shape. Transfer shaped dough into proofing baskets. Bench rest for 15 minutes. |
| 20:25 | Transfer the dough to the fridge for coldproof. |
| Day 2 | |
| 11:00 | Preheat oven and cast iron/dutch oven at max temperature. |
| 11:45 | Take out the dough. transfer to a baking mat or baking paper. Score (slash) the dough. Transfer the dough to a closed baking vessel. Chuck 2 ice cubes at the corner of the bakeware and cover with a lid. |
| Bake at 250 degrees, 20 minutes, lid on. Continue baking at 230 degrees, 20-25 minutes, lid off | |
| Cool down the bread for at least 1.5 hours before enjoying it |
Notes
* With wholewheat (wholemeal) flour, the fermentation speeds up due to more nutrients available in flour. Also, wholewheat flour absorbs more water than baker’s flour or all-purpose flour so I increase the hydration to 80%.
* Perform 4-5 coil fold sets (or more if necessary) with this recipe. The dough seems very slacking at the beginning but with more folds, it would hold the shape better.
* What is diastatic malt powder? It is a powder form of malted barley and it has a great amount of enzymes in it, which break down starches into sugar and boost yeast activities. The fermentation accelerates thanks to this powder. It also adds sweetness and color to the final product.
* Because of higher hydration, wholewheat flour and diastatic malt, the fermentation went much faster compared to other recipes and you can see from my workflow table, it took about 4 hours for bulk fermentation. It is winter at the moment and the dough would usually take 6-8 hours for the first rise. I stopped the bulk ferment stage when the dough rises about 50%. During cold proof overnight in the fridge, the dough continues rising at a slower rate.
* I like the open crumb of this bread (thanks to high hydration too) and the texture is super soft. I would like to try increasing the percentage of wholemeal flour for the next loaf.
At the end
If you ever feel bored making sourdough bread with only white flour, give this recipe a go. Not only can you get a delicious loaf but practice on checking when the bulk ferment completes. It is always fun to try something new, isn’t it?
