Whole-Grain Sourdough Sandwich Bread (Fresh-Milled, Long Ferment)

👤 Paul metadata: fermentation: extended cold bulk (36–72 h) starter: white flour, 100% hydration (mother) goal: digestibility-first whole grain sandwich bread

🥘 Ingredients

Daily Levain (build night before)

  • mother_starter
    15 g
  • water
    30 g
  • hard_whole_wheat_flour
    35 g
  • khorasan_flour
    15 g

Autolyse (Saltolyse)

  • hard_whole_wheat_flour
    250 g
  • whole_oat_flour
    75 g
  • khorasan_flour
    125 g
  • water
    360 g
  • salt
    10 g

Final Mix

  • levain
    ~95 g

Baking

  • oven_temp
    230 °C
  • oven_temp
    200 °C

Daily Levain (build night before)

  1. 1
    - mother_starter (white flour, 100% hydration) - hard_whole_wheat_flour (fresh milled) - khorasan_flour (fresh milled) - water
    mother_starter: 15 g, hard_whole_wheat_flour: 35 g, khorasan_flour: 15 g, water: 30 g
  2. 2
    Mix levain until cohesive and stiff. Cover loosely and ferment at ⏱️ timer –22 °C for ⏱️ timer –10 h until just domed and aromatic.

Autolyse (Saltolyse)

  1. 3
    - hard_whole_wheat_flour (fresh milled) - khorasan_flour (fresh milled) - whole_oat_flour (fresh milled) - water - salt
    hard_whole_wheat_flour: 250 g, khorasan_flour: 125 g, whole_oat_flour: 75 g, water: 360 g, salt: 10 g
  2. 4
    Mix until no dry flour remains. Cover and autolyse for ⏱️ timer –3 h at ⏱️ timer –24 °C.

Final Mix

  1. 5
    - levain (from above)
    levain: ~95 g
  2. 6
    Add levain to autolysed dough. Pinch and fold until fully incorporated and dough is cohesive.

Bulk Fermentation

  1. 7
    Rest dough at room temperature ( ⏱️ timer –24 °C) for ⏱️ timer .5–3 h. During bulk, perform 3 coil folds at: - ⏱️ timer min - ⏱️ timer min - ⏱️ timer min
  2. 8
    Once dough holds structure, cover and refrigerate.
  3. 9
    ⏱️ 36–72 h cold bulk fermentation at 3–4 °C.

Shaping

  1. 10
    Remove dough from fridge. Pre-shape gently into a rectangle. Roll tightly for sandwich crumb. Place seam-side down into lightly oiled pan.

Final Proof

  1. 11
    Proof at ⏱️ timer –24 °C for ⏱️ timer –6 h until dough rises to ⏱️ timer .5–2 cm below pan rim. Finger dent should spring back slowly.

Baking

  1. 12
    Preheat oven to oven_temp . Bake for ⏱️ 15 min .
    oven_temp: 230 °C
  2. 13
    Reduce temperature to oven_temp . Bake an additional ⏱️ 25–30 min until internal temp reaches ⏱️ 96–98 °C .
    oven_temp: 200 °C
  3. 14
    (Optional) Brush crust lightly with butter or oat milk for softness.

Notes

  1. 15
    - Autolyse includes full salt (saltolyse). - Oats are excluded from levain for clean acidity. - Hydration target ≈ 78–80%. - Best flavor and digestibility at ⏱️ timer h cold bulk. - Freezes well when sliced.