Whole Wheat Sourdough

Ingredients

  • 500 g AP flour
  • 200 g whole wheat flour
  • 200 g bread flour
  • 100 g rye flour
  • 200 g active starter (has been fed at least twice)
  • 780 g water
  • 20 g salt

Mix the flours with 700 g water at ~100 F and roughly mix. Autolyse for 20-30 minutes. Mix the starter and the remaining water. Add to the dough. Add salt. Mix using the pincher method and fold a few times.

Let raise for 3-6 hours (or overnight in the fridge), folding three-four times in the first hour.

Divide and let rest on a lightly floured surface for 10-15 minutes. Stretch and fold the four corners of the dough onto itself (I usually do east-west-north-south). Cover with an inverted bowl. After 15 minutes fold again if looking excessively floppy, if not, invert and by dragging the dough seam side down around on the board make into a taut ball (do not squish it though, you still want the bubbles). Put in bannetton (or lined bowl) seam side up. Cover and proof for 1-2 hours or in the fridge for 12-24 hours (finger dent test usually works well here).

Meanwhile heat the dutch oven in the oven to 500F. Invert the dough on parchment paper, seam side down. Score the top (I like a slightly curved score across the top, about 2cm deep, at about a 45 degree angle. Be generous here, the scoring allows the dough to expand). Using the parchment, transfer dough to dutch oven. Bake covered for 25 minutes. Reduce temperature to 450F. Bake for 25-30 minutes more until it looks baked to your taste. Put on cooling rack and wait until room temperature, 1-2 hours.

Note

I tried changing the hydration between 68 and 78 % (not including starter), and to my surprise there was no difference in crumb structure!

References

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlJEjW-QSnQ FSWY Tartine

Section author: Carlo