100% Wholewheat sourdough bread
Since the first time we made sourdough bread, Jini has had her mind set on making a whole wheat version. We have had several failed versions, lots of gloopy messes in the name of dough, some sour pancakes coming out of the oven instead of the bread we hoped for, but Jini was sure she had to master this. Every time we tried, even though the we got the texture wrong, the taste was lovely, nutty from the whole wheat and more sour because of the enzymes and minerals in whole wheat increase the acidity during fermentation. We had to find a recipe that would work and so we went back to one that we were familiar with, our Sourdough bread for beginners recipe borrowed from Sujit Sumitran and tried to tweak it to suit whole wheat flour.
The resultant bread was so beautiful, the enhanced nutrition aside, the bread is worth making for its gorgeous texture and taste alone. We did not get the kind of rise we do normally on our breads, so that means a tighter crumb and fewer holes, but this makes it a perfect sandwich bread you can slather your favourite sandwich spread on, stuff to your hearts content and enjoy! In fact, the more sour taste and softer crumb of this bread pairs beautifully with a South Indian fish curry as well.
What you need:
500 grams of Whole wheat flour
400 grams of water @ room temperature
100 grams of fresh, vigorous starter @ 60% hydration ( 60% of water to flour)
10 grams of salt
10 gms of oil of your choice (we used olive)
How we stir:
Autolyse: Pour water in a large mixing bowl and the starter to the water. Stir till well mixed and add the flour to this mix. Mix well till all the flour is well hydrated, its a shaggy mass at this stage and doesnt really look like it will become bread in a few hours but hang in there. Let the dough rest for an hour. This is a crucial step as it allows the flour to absorb the water and relax into a cohesive mass.
Mix: Now add the salt onto the surface of the dough and the oil. Moisten your fingers and palm and using your thumb and index finger like pincers cut through the dough and remix. What you need is for the salt to be fully incorporated. The dough will be sticky, so while we normally use water to moisten our hands to work with the dough, it is better here to oil your hands slightly as you really dont want to transfer more water into your dough.
Turn: This is essentially a series of Stretch & Folds that you employ to develop the gluten. We give longer (about 45 minutes to an hour) between each stretch and fold for the whole wheat because it tears easier as the gluten is weaker. But do atleast 4 turns till the dough begins to resist the turns and has developed some strength. By the end of this process, you will definitely see some bubbles on the surface of the dough which is the beautiful yeast coming alive!
Pre- Shape: Using a flour dusted silicon spatula, gently nudge the dough onto a well floured surface. Now, stretch and fold the dough and shape into a ball. Dust the surface and cover with a kitchen napkin.
Shape: Take a 50-50 mix of rice flour and whole wheat flour and dust a kitchen napkin with the flour mix generously. Transfer the napkin carefully onto your banneton. Use a dough scraper and push under the dough at a 45 degree angle till the dough turns into a tight ball.
Proof: Transfer dough seam-side up on the proofing basket, cover with a plastic bag and transfer into the fridge to cold proof over-night.
Bake: Pre-heat oven to max temperature (250C) with a Dutch Oven (DO) in it for 40 minutes. Invert the dough from the proofing basket onto a piece of parchment which helps both to ensure the bread doesnt stick to your banneton and that it is easy to transfer into the dutch oven. Now score the surface of the dough with a pattern of your choice, we recommend doing one around the dough at about half its height. This gives the whole wheat some additional room to rise when baked. Transfer the dough carefully into the dutch oven, and bake for 20 minutes with the lid on. Take off the lid, drop the temperature to 225°C and bake for another 30 minutes till the loaf is a deep brown colour. I can actually smell that its done before I see that its done, our kitchen is filled with the wonderful, warming aroma of baking bread.
Once baked, cool completely on a cooling rack before slicing and enjoying this bread with a filling or dipping of your choice.
