Easy Overnight Sourdough Sandwich Bread with Fresh Milled Flour
This freshly milled whole wheat sourdough sandwich bread recipe is now a staple in our home. I have tried countless sourdough sandwich bread recipes with freshly milled flour.
Some were hard as bricks, dense, crumbly, or even crunchy (from the bran). In several previous attempts, I had some nice-tasting loaves, but we would go to take a bite of our sandwich, and it would fall apart in our hands.
I wanted something hearty but with a good spring to it. Freshly milled whole wheat bread does tend to be heftier than store-bought bread so don’t expect to make a loaf of Wonder Bread. This recipe though, it’s a winner. It’s got everything: Tang, spring, crust. *Chef’s kiss*
Want more fresh-milled bread goodness? Try making Sourdough Focaccia, Dinner Rolls, or Hawaiian Rolls!
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What is Freshly Milled Wheat?
Almost exactly what it sounds like. You grind your own wheat flour using a mill like they used to 150 years ago. Albeit, we get to use electricity and do it right on the counter.
You will purchase wheat berries, which are the raw grain, which you then turn into flour like you buy in the bags at the store. But you also retain all of the nutrients that commercially process flours don’t have.
You can mill more than just wheat too – there is buckwheat, beans, corn, oats, rice, etc.
Freshly Milled Failures
Now, I know one of the main reasons I have had some failures is because I refuse to buy the vital wheat gluten that many freshly milled bakers recommend (and they are all much better bakers than me so go for it if that works for you).
At this point though, it’s a matter of principle (or pride). I want to be able to make bread without it! Don’t let failure stop you from trying though, baking whole wheat sourdough bread is a tasty way to fail.
My Whole Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread recipe is the culmination of mashing together many recipes I have tried over the past year. This recipe takes very little time compared to many sourdough bread recipes, and I love that you can start it before bed.
Easy Overnight Whole Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread
Tools:
- 2 Loaf pans
- Grain Mill
- Stand Mixer with dough hook
- Danish whisk
- Kitchen scale
- Kitchen towel
- Dough Scraper
- Mixing bowls
- Plastic wrap
Ingredients:
- 130g Sourdough Starter
- 600g warm water plus 1.5 Tablespoons
- 56g honey
- 1000g hard white wheat
- 40g olive oil
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 4 tsp Salt
- 1-2 tsp Rice flour for dusting counter
- 1-2 Tbsp Melted butter for greasing pan and brushing top of loaf
Let’s Make Some Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread!
Autolyse: Before bed, add starter to a large bowl, mixing in water, lemon juice, and honey well with a Danish whisk. Mill and add flour, mix well, and let sit for 30 minutes.
Mix Dough: Add oil and salt to mixing bowl and knead dough until the flour is absorbed and you have a cohesive dough (about 5 minutes in a mixer).
Bulk Rise: Cover dough with a damp towel and let rest for 30-45 minutes. Do one round of stretch and folds (see notes). Grease a clean bowl with a little olive oil and place the dough ball into the greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and bulk rise overnight at room temperature (8-12 hours).
Shaping: In the morning, dust the counter with rice flour, pull out the dough, and split it into two equal pieces with scraper. Press/stretch dough gently into rectangle shapes, pushing out some of the air.
Roll dough into loaf shapes, keeping tension as you do and tucking sides in. Use plastic wrap to lightly cover and let dough rest on counter for 10 minutes.
Prepare Loaf Pans: Grease pans well. Pull each shaped loaf towards you a bit to keep tension in the shape before place in pans.
2nd Rise: Place each loaf in a pan and cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let rise for 1-2 hours (you’ll know it’s proofed enough when you press your finger into the dough and it does not bounce back). Preheat oven 375 degrees.
Bake: Bake loaves for 40-45 minutes (internal temp of bread should be at least 190°). Optional – brush the top of bread with melted butter before bakingthe .
Cool: Make sure to fully cool before slicing.
Notes:
- Makes 2 loaves in regular-size loaf pans
- You can make 2 small boules in a dutch oven with this recipe
- While dough is rising, preheat dutch oven at 450 for about 30 minutes. When bread is risen, use a lame to slice a vent and then place bread in hot dutch oven with lid on. Reduce heat to 375 and bake for 30 minutes. Remove lid and bake another 5-10 minutes, until a little more browned
- Stretch and folds are when you take one side of the dough and pull it up a few inches and fold it back on top of itself in the middle, turn the bowl 1/4 turn and repeat for a total of 4 stretches so that you have a semi-ball shape
- If your starter is super active or your house is very warm the bulk rise may take less time
- I have used cold discard from the fridge and this recipe still works great
- I like to remove my bread from the pan to cool on its side to avoid any settling
- I usually start the bread an hour before I go to bed
Use this bread to make delicious French Toast or top it with Peach Butter! Check out some of our other fresh milled bread recipes.
Aren’t ready to commit to 100% fresh milled flour? Try our Half Whole Wheat Sourdough Boule. You can also dip your toe in with Apple Cider Mini Muffins or Sourdough Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins.
Easy Overnight Whole Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread
This fairly quick freshly milled sourdough sandwich bread recipe will be a staple in your home. Hearty but with a good spring.
Ingredients
- 130g Sourdough Starter
- 600g warm water plus 1.5 Tablespoons
- 56g honey
- 1000g hard white wheat
- 40g olive oil
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 4 tsp Salt
- 1-2 tsp Rice flour for dusting counter
- 1-2 Tbsp Melted butter for greasing pan and brushing top of loaf
Instructions
- Before bed, add starter to a large bowl, mixing in water, lemon juice, and honey well with danish whisk
- Add flour, mix well, and let sit for 30 minutes
- Add oil and salt kneading dough until the flour is absorbed and you have a cohesive dough (about 5 minutes in a mixer)
- Cover dough with damp towel and let rest for 30-45 minutes
- Do one round of stretch and folds (see notes)
- Grease a clean bowl with a little olive oil and place dough ball into the greased bowl
- Cover with plastic wrap and bulk rise overnight at room temperature (8-12 hours)
- In morning, dust counter with rice flour, pull out dough, and split into two equal pieces with scraper
- Press/stretch dough gently into rectangle shapes, pushing out some of the air
- Roll dough into loaf shapes, keeping tension as you do and tucking sides in
- Use plastic wrap to lightly cover and let dough rest on counter for 10 minutes
- Grease loaf pans
- Pull each loaf towards you a bit to keep tension in the shape
- Place each loaf in a pan and cover with damp towel or plastic wrap and let rise for 1-2 hours (you’ll know it’s proofed enough when you press your finger into dough and it does not bounce back)
- Preheat over 375°
- Bake 40-45 minutes (internal temp of bread should be at least 190°)
- Optional - brush top of bread with melted butter
- Cool before slicing
Notes
Makes 2 loaves in regular-size loaf pans
You can make 2 small boules in a dutch oven with this recipe
While dough is rising, preheat dutch oven at 450 for about 30 minutes. When bread is risen, use a lame to slice a vent and then place bread in hot dutch oven with lid on. Reduce heat to 375 and bake for 30 minutes. Remove lid and bake another 5-10 minutes, until a little more browned
Stretch and folds are when you take one side of the dough and pull it up a few inches and fold it back on top of itself in the middle, turn the bowl 1/4 turn and repeat for a total of 4 stretches so that you have a semi-ball shape
If your starter is super active or your house is very warm the bulk rise may take less time
I have used cold discard from the fridge and this recipe still works great
I like to remove my bread from the pan to cool on its side to avoid any settling
Bread freezes well
I usually start the bread an hour before I go to bed
Nutrition Information
Yield 24 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 178Total Fat 3gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 3mgSodium 397mgCarbohydrates 33gFiber 5gSugar 2gProtein 7g
*this has not been evaluated by the FDA
FAQS
Of course! Be sure it is a hard wheat and not a soft wheat. Hard wheat varieties have more gluten for bread that use yeast to rise, while soft wheats are better for quick breads like muffins, or cookies. Texture may vary.
Yes! Let bread fully cool, then wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag or foil for 2-3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
When do you add the lemon juice?
Oops, I forgot to add that in the instructions! Add at the same time as the water.
Do you use the Tangzhong method with this recipe, and if so, how does it change?
I have not used tangzhong in this recipe (yet!), but you could definitely test it out! I would probably use about 1/4 Cup (60g) Hard White Wheat Berries and 1/2 Cup (120g) and subtract those amounts from the flour and water amounts in the recipe. Let me know if you try it.