Perfect Half Whole Wheat Sourdough Boule Fresh Milled Flour

Save for later!

I generally prefer to bake with 100% freshly milled whole wheat these days, but sometimes my family just wants a loaf with a super fluffy interior, so we have compromised by making this half whole wheat flour sourdough recipe. It’s perfect for baking bread with fresh milled flour for the first time too!

You’ll still get all the benefits you love from sourdough’s wild yeast plus a little boost of vitamins from the freshly milled whole wheat. And homemade bread is always better for you than store-bought. A half whole wheat loaf offers the perfect balance between the nutty depth of whole wheat and the light texture of regular all-purpose white flour.

Follow this recipe for whole wheat sourdough artisan bread and you’ll be pulling a golden, crusty boule from your oven, filling your kitchen with the irresistible aroma of freshly baked bread.

Try some of our other sourdough recipes like: Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies, Overnight Sourdough Sandwich Bread, or Sourdough Pretzel Buns.

Equipment for Half Whole Wheat Bread Baking

• Grain Mill
• Mixer with Dough Hook
• Mixing Bowl
• Kitchen Scale
• Dutch Oven
• Bench Scraper
• Small Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper
• Oven Mitts
• Proofing Baskets
• Lame
• Bowl Cover or Plastic Wrap
• Rice Flour for Dusting
• Ice Cubes

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon associate or other affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. We try to recommend products we personally use or have used and trust. If you choose to purchase through our links in this post, we may receive a commission, at no extra cost to you. Read the full disclosure here. 

Essential Ingredients for the Perfect Sourdough Boule

• 2.5 Cups (500g) Hard White Wheat Berries
• 3.5 Cups (600g) Unbleached Organic All-Purpose Flour
• 2.75 Cups plus 2 TBSP (700g) Warm Water
• 1.5 Cups (300g) Active Sourdough Starter
• 4 tsp (22g) Salt
• Additional 1/4-1/2 Cup (approx. 100g) Water*

Step-by-Step Half Whole Wheat Sourdough Recipe

Making Dough

1. Add sourdough starter and water to mixing bowl and whisk together
2. Mill hard white berries into along with all-purpose flour
3. Mix together until a cohesive dough is formed
4. Cover and let autolyse for 30 minutes
5. Add salt and additional water and knead for a couple of minutes, or until dough has come together again
6. Cover and rest 30 minutes
7. Perform first round of coil folds* with wet hands
8. Repeat coil folds every 30 minutes for a total of 4 coil folds
9. After final coil fold cover dough and let dough rise 4-6 hours for bulk fermentation in a warm place
10. After the first rise, dump dough onto a lightly floured work surface
11. Split into two pieces with a bench scraper
12. Stretch each piece into a rectangle, fold up like a letter, and roll up
13. Pre-shape into the boule, creating some tension 
14. Cover and let dough rest with a towel for 15 minutes
15. Add a little more tension to dough by pulling corners in to reshape
16. Place shaped dough into lightly dusted proofing basket (or a bowl) and cover**
17. Refrigerate overnight  

Baking Bread

1. When ready to bake bread, preheat Dutch oven to 500 degrees for 30 minutes
2. Remove bread dough from fridge and place on lightly floured silicone baking mat
3. Dust top of boule with rice flour and using lame, score bread
4. Add boule to hot Dutch oven, add ice cube, cover and lower temperature to 450 degrees
5. Bake for 30-32 minutes
6. Remove lid and bake an additional 5-10 minutes, or until desired color on top of the dough and internal temperature is at least 200 degrees
7. Remove bread and place on wire rack to cool
8. Slice and store your loaf of bread once fully cooled

Notes:

• Recipe makes 2 loaves – can be baked one at a time
• Bread flour can be used instead of all-purpose
• You can use a regular sourdough starter or a whole grain flour starter
• Coil folds can be replaced with stretch and fold method, it’s personal preference
• Bulk rise time will depend on house temperature
• *You may need to play around with the hydration % (water amount) depending on altitude and humidity
• **I cover my bannetons with a cotton bowl cover and place a tupperware lid on top to prevent it drying out in the fridge
• I like to use rice flour to dust my baking mat and the top of the boule before scoring
• You can choose any scoring design you like, there are tons of options!

Make the Perfect Half Whole Wheat Sourdough Boule

Making the Dough

Add sourdough starter and water to mixing bowl and whisk together.

Mill hard white berries into along with all-purpose flour.

Mix together until a cohesive dough is formed.

Cover and let autolyse for 30 minutes.

Add salt and additional water and knead for a couple of minutes, or until dough has come together again. Cover and rest another 30 minutes.

Perform first round of coil folds with wet hands. Repeat coil folds every 30 minutes for a total of 4 coil folds.

After final coil fold cover dough and let rise 4-6 hours. Half whole wheat dough will rise higher than 100% whole wheat dough.

Dump dough onto a lightly floured counter.

Split into two pieces.

Stretch each piece into a rectangle, fold up like a letter, and roll up.

Pre-shape into the boule, creating some tension. Cover dough with a towel for 15 minutes.

Add a little more tension to dough by pulling corners in to reshape. Place into lightly dusted proofing baskets (or a bowl).

Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Baking Bread the Next Day

When ready to bake bread, preheat Dutch oven to 500 degrees for 30 minutes.

Remove dough from fridge and place on lightly floured silicone baking mat. I made two at a time but you can remove one boule from the fridge to bake before doing the second.

Dust top of boule with rice flour and using lame, score bread.

Add boule to hot Dutch oven, add ice cube, cover and lower temperature to 450 degrees. Bake for 30-32 minutes.

Remove lid and bake an additional 5-10 minutes, or until desired color and internal temperature is at least 200 degrees.

Remove bread and place on cooling rack.

Slice and store once fully cooled.

Inclusions and Add-ins

We will sometimes add in our favorite items to kick it up a notch. You can add these items in during the coil folds or during pre-shaping. The combinations are endless, but we like to use:

• Cinnamon Sugar and Raisins
• Kalamata Olives and Roasted Garlic
• Jalapenos and Cheddar
• Chocolate Chips

Why Shape as a Boule Instead of a Loaf?

This one is just a preference for our family because my kids LOVE the crust and I enjoy shaping bread this way. Sometimes, we are left with a naked boule because they have cut off every side of the sphere!

You can successfully bake in loaf pans, so if you’re up for it, try it out and let us know how it goes. Follow these steps to shape a boule.

Should I Autolyse My Half Whole Wheat Sourdough?

Autolyse simply means to add your water and flour together and let them rest. This is an optional step, but it helps soften the bran, encourages gluten development in fresh milled flour, and also “increases a dough’s extensibility: the ability for the dough to stretch out without tearing” (source).

Coil Folds vs Stretch and Folds

Both of these methods help build gluten strength in your dough as it rises. Either works great!

The stretch and fold method is the most common way I’ve seen to work dough. You stretch each side of the dough (pretending it’s a square) and fold it over itself.

The coil fold method is another way to work dough that uses gravity instead of stretching and pulling. You let the dough fall over your hands and set it on top of itself. This is my preferred method.

There is also the slap and fold technique, but I have not yet used this method. This is a fast way to strengthen high hydration doughs by quickly slapping the dough on the counter.

Tips for Sourdough Bread Scoring

Whether it’s 100% or half whole wheat, scoring your bread is important because it helps to release steam and prevent rips and tears in your loaf. If you do not score the steam will find its own way out and you may get an unattractive blowout.

• Score after refrigerating, right before baking – cold dough is much easier to slice through as it doesn’t pull as much as warm dough.
• Don’t use a knife to score – you will want something that can nicely cut through wet dough, and a knife will not cut it (pun intended). Get a bread lame with a handle to be able to cut safely.
• Make sure to cut deep enough – at least one of your scores should be about ¼ to ½-inch deep so your bread will be able to fully rise and not rip. Don’t go crazy and do huge cuts though.

Storing Half Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread

Our loaves are usually eaten up pretty quickly, but we do occasionally have to think about how to keep our bread fresh. If I know we will eat the bread within a couple of days, I will often just put it in a plastic bag unsealed on the counter for airflow. That will be good for about three days. You can also try storing in beeswax wrap or beeswax bags.

You can store your bread in the fridge, but it may dry it out, so it is not my recommendation.

This bread freezes very well. Wrap loaf in plastic wrap and then place in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 2-3 months. When ready to eat, remove plastic wrap from bread and leave in freezer bag (unsealed) on counter to thaw, or wrap in foil and reheat in a 350-degree oven for approx. 30 minutes.

If your bread does go stale you can always use it for breadcrumbs, french toast, or even croutons!

Get ready to bake a masterpiece that will satisfy your family and friends! You’ll love using your whole wheat sourdough starter with this recipe.

FAQS