This Cracked Wheat Sourdough Bread made with freshly milled flour can change your life.
Ok THIS. I am so excited to share this with you that I can’t even contain myself. This bread recipe unleashes an extensive and passionate love of sourdough. Seriously. How does one put into words something you love and hold so close to your heart?
I adore a hot golden brown loaf of this bread fresh from the oven. No one here can resist tearing directly into the crispy, still hot, beautiful outer crust revealing the soft and airy insides. The first thing we do is add copious amounts of butter to that torn piece while trying to keep the butter from sliding off the steaming insides, all while trying not to burn your hand or mouth in the process. I grew up in California where sourdough was a part of our regular menu.
Have you ever heard of the term San Francisco Sourdough? It’s a thing. It is a part of the culture. People who know it, love and appreciate it, and love it some more. San Francisco Sourdough has been popularized for decades. It’s as if something is in the air making it better.
And maybe, scientifically, it is. Sourdough starters react to their environment, mostly to heat and humidity. The consistent weather on the Pacific Bay very likely does allow for great consistent results year round. While San Fransisco definitely wants you to think they’ve got the corner on the sourdough market, sourdough (thankfully) performs beautifully in home kitchens all around the world!
While I didn’t grown up in the city itself, I did take field trips into the city as a kid (and still do when I get the chance!). The impressive sight of the Golden Gate Bridge, the smell of the fresh salty air of the Bay, and ordering Clam Chowder in a Sourdough Bread Bowl at Pier 39. These sweet memories are pieces of my childhood, college years and beyond.
I no longer live in California, but the love of bold flavors is something that has stuck with me. I also can’t simply drive into San Francisco to pick up some world famous sourdough. After leaving the state, I couldn’t even find a store or bakery that sold a decent loaf of sourdough bread. Nobody near me was making it, that I couldn’t find and when I finally found it in a store nearby it was utterly disappointing. That was a time where I thought I might have to go without it altogether.
After going on a sourdough journey over a decade and a half ago of making my own starter and getting my hands dirty in flour, over and over again I am SO happy to report:
I can do WAY BETTER than just buying a loaf; I can do gourmet.
I can pull this Cracked Wheat Sourdough Bread Made with freshly milled flour out hot from my own oven in my kitchen. And that, my friends, is the very best way to enjoy sourdough. I can make it with my own freshly milled bread flour in a simple blender and the best part is…. now SO CAN YOU.
You will need:
- 2 cups wheat berries (about 400 g after milled into flour)
- Blender (this recipe tested with Vitamix) or use a grain mill
- Active sourdough starter 300 g
- Water 975 g
- 60 grams salt
- All purpose flour 900
- Bread Flour 200 g
- Kitchen scale
- Dutch Oven
Blend the wheat berries in your blender on high speed for about a minute until it looks like fine flour.
Measure ingredients by weight using a kitchen scale and mix in one large bowl until all the ingredients look evenly incorporated and wet.
Let the dough rest about 25 minutes. This allows the flour to absorb more of the moisture.
Stretch and fold the dough by pulling a section of the dough at the outer edge, upward and then directly across the top of the dough. Turn the bowl in a circular motion repeating this step 5-6 timer until you arrive back at the starting “stretch”.
Wait between stretch and folds about 20-60 minutes, and repeat this process 5 times.
After the last stretch and fold, divide the dough into two even pieces, and gently form each piece into a ball. Then place on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper setting inside of a banneton basket or bowl.
Cover and let sit overnight in the fridge for a long ferment.
Remove from fridge, dust lightly with less than a teaspoon of flour, score the tops of the loaves by slicing your desired pattern into the top of the dough at a depth of about a half an inch.
Preheat two Dutch ovens with lids to 375 degrees then simply transfer dough and parchment paper into oven and cover with lids.
Bake 30 minutes covered and 30 minutes uncovered.
Why make this Cracked Wheat Sourdough Bread recipe?
It is delicious. Pretty much end of story. I have also worked hard to make it even more nutritious with my freshly milled whole grain flour. Now that I’ve perfected this receipt everyone should be enjoying this in your home. The sourdough element here as well as the fiber added with the freshly milled flour can help stabilize the post meal blood sugar spikes that are so troublesome to diabetics. Many nutrients and minerals were stripped away from the grain during processing of all purpose flour. Make this recipe and add back in the wonderful nutrition we were meant to take in at meals.
How do I make other meals with this sourdough bread?
This Cracked Wheat Sourdough is wonderful served as:
- toasted served with generous butter and favorite jam
- garlic bread – melt butter and mix in fresh crushed garlic then rewarmed in oven
- sourdough French toast
- Sourdough croutons
- Overnight Baked French Toast
Enjoy gourmet for days! Remember this versatile bread as a side to any meal or as the main course of your next breakfast.
When asking for toast as a child I wouldn’t ask, “do we have any bread?” I would instead say, “do we have any sourdough?” I want to continue to create that some culture for my family, and do so by consistently baking this up or some of my other similar recipes week after week.
Easy Cracked Wheat Sourdough Bread with Freshly Milled Flour
Perfect this recipe and your loved ones will never be the same. They will be healthier, well fueled and practically worship the ground you walk on!
Ingredients
- 900 g unbleached all purpose flour
- 200 g bread flour
- 400 g freshly milled flour
- 60 g salt
- 300 g active (bubbly) sourdough starter
- 975 g water
Instructions
- Blend the wheat berries in your blender on high speed for about a minute until it looks like fine flour.
- Measure all ingredients by weight using a kitchen scale and mix together in one large bowl until all the ingredients looks evenly incorporated and wet.
- Let the dough rest about 30 minutes. This allows the flour to absorb more of the moisture.
- Stretch and fold the dough by pulling a section of the dough at the outer edge, upward and then accross the dough. Turn the bowl in a circular motion repeating this step 5-6 timer until you arrive back at the starting “stretch”.
- Wait between stretch and folds between 20-60 minutes, and repeat this process 5 times.
- After the last stretch and fold, divide the dough into two even pieces, and gently form each piece into a ball. Then place on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper setting inside of a banneton basket or bowl.
- Cover and let sit overnight in the fridge for a long ferment.
- Remove from fridge, dust lightly with less than a teaspoon of flour, score the tops of the loaves by slicing your desired pattern into the top of the dough at a depth of about a half an inch.
- Preheat two Dutch ovens with lids to 375 degrees then simply transfer dough and parchment paper into oven and cover with lids.
- Bake 30 minutes covered and 30 minutes uncovered.
Notes
This recipe is very forgiving and the times given are estimates because this is made to be flexible to fit your schedule and help you succeed. Simply repeat your stretch and folds when you walk through your kitchen, see and remember your dough.
This recipe was tested with a VItamix blender, if you have a different make then check with your manufacterer before milling grain in yours.
This recipe is so versatile! If you don’t have any whole-grain bread, but want to use this recipe as your basic sourdough boule, simply substitute the whole grain wheat flour with 400 g of all purpose flour. It will turn out beautifully!
How do I grind my own grain if I don’t have a grain mill?
If you are interested in trying this recipe but don’t have a grain mill then check out:
How to Mill Your Own Fresh Flour in Your Blender
Read more about it here. Be sure to check with your blender manufacturer to see if that will work for your machine.
You could ask around to some likeminded friends with a food mill to see if they would run a couple cups of your grain through their mill this week to help you get started.
Do yourself a favor and try this healthy, delicious sourdough boule and leave a comment to let us know how it turned out for you!
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