Sprouted Wheat Sourdough Bread

Sprouted wheat sourdough bread has a lower glycemic index compared to regular breads because of its lower gluten content. Sprouted grain bread has a lot more benefits over any whole-grain bread. It is higher in protein and fiber content and lower in carbs, it is also easier to digest. If you are interested in trying it yourself, here is the recipe.

Ingredients

Sourdough Starter 

• 5g sourdough starter
• 35g water
• 30g all purpose flour or bread flour 
• 5g rye flour 

Dough

• 240g bread flour (80%)
• 60g stone ground whole wheat flour (20%)
• 207g water (69%)
• 27g (9%) cold water added along with salt, total hydration, 78%
• 60g levain (20%)
• 6g salt (2%)
• 50g sprouted and grounded wheat berries

Directions 

Sprout wheat berries in 2 days 

Day 1

Wash wheat berries and cover them with water, let them soak for 24 hours.

Day 2

Rinse berries, drain all the water, let them stay in a container covered with wet paper towel for 12 hours. If the paper towel dries up quickly, run it under water and cover the wheat berries.

Rinse the berries again, cover them with wet paper towel for another 12 hours.

You should start seeing lots of sprouts after 36 hours of soaking.  By the 48th hour mark all the berries should sprout.

Starter

• 7 am add starter to the water and whisk together, add flour, mix well, cover loosely, let it sit at a room temp 74-78F for about 8-10 hours until starter reaches its peak (at least triples in volume).
• Learn how to make starter from scratch here.

Dough

• 5 pm mix water with flour and cover, let it rest 1 hour for autolyse.
• During the autolyse the flour absorbs the water, becoming fully hydrated. This will activate gluten development.
• 6 pm add sourdough starter. 
• Mix on low speed of your mixing machine for 2-3 min, or KitchenAid on speed 3 for 3-4 minutes until well incorporated.
• Cover, let rest for 30 minutes.
• 6:30 pm add salt and extra water. 
• The process of adding extra water is called bassinage, it helps to tighten up gluten. Mix on low speed of your mixing machine for 2-3 min, or with KitchenAid on speed 3 for 5-6 minutes until well incorporated. The dough should come up together, but still be sticky on the bottom.
• Continue gluten development and structure building by performing stretches and folds during the warm fermentation period.
• Leave to rest 30 minutes. At 74-78F /23-26C.
• Meanwhile grind sprouted wheat berries in a food processor.

• 7 pm spray your work surface with water, wet your hands to perform lamination.
• Lamination is the process of stretching the dough as thin as you can without ripping it.

• Spread your ground wheat berries all over the dough, fold and it let rest for 45 minutes.
• 7:45 pm 1st stretch and fold.
• 8:30 pm 2nd stretch and fold.
• 9.15 pm 3rd stretch and fold

Note: usually the fermentation of the dough with wheat berries goes super fast, because wild yeast has access to a sugars from the berries. You might need to reduce the time in between stretches if the dough rises too quickly.

After the final stretch let the dough proof for 30 minutes at 76-80F/ 23-26C. You should see some bubbles on the surface, the dough has to become lighter and puffy. We are looking for 50% rise. 

Preshaping sourdough 

• 9:45 pm transfer the dough on to a work surface and dust its top with flour. Flip the dough over so the floured side faces down.
• Fold the dough onto itself so the flour on the surface remains entirely on the outside of the loaf. This will become the crust.
• Place the dough round on a work surface and let it rest for 30 minutes uncovered.

Shaping sourdough 

• 10.15 pm dust the dough with flour. Use a dough scraper to flip it over on to a work surface so the floured sides face down.
• Starting with the side closest to you, pull the right 2 corners of the dough to the left, then fold them up into half of the dough. Repeat this action with the other side too.
• Finally, roll the dough. Shape it into a smooth, taut roll.
• Transfer the roll, seam side up, to a prepared proofing basket (loaf pan with kitchen towel).
• Cover it with plastic and return the dough to the 80F (27C) environment for 15 minutes.
• Then transfer the dough to rise for 14-24 hours in the refrigerator.

Baking

Next morning

• Preheat your oven to 500 F, place a cast iron pan with the lid inside for 45 minutes -1 hour.
• Remove the dough from the fridge. 
• Flip it over on a parchment paper, score it with a sharp knife or a scoring lame. 

• Transfer the dough on to the hot cast iron pan, cover it with the lid (to create steam for a beautiful and crunchy crust ).
• Bake at 500F for 15 minutes with lid on.
• Remove the lid, lower temperature to 450F. 
• Bake for 20 more minutes until golden brown.

Enjoy your sprouted wheat sourdough bread!

Sprouted Wheat Sourdough Bread

1423kcal

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Prep 45 minutes mins

Cook 35 minutes mins

Wheat Berry Sprouting 2 days d

Total 3 days d 3 hours hrs

An exceptionally nutritious, deeply flavorful artisan sourdough bread featuring sprouted whole wheat berries fold-laminated into the dough. Sprouting reduces gluten toughness and phytic acid while boosting digestibility and yielding a light, airy crumb with a subtle natural sweetness.

Servings 1 Loaf

Course Artisan Sourdough

Cuisine Artisan Sourdough

Ingredients

1x2x3x

Wheat Berry Sprouting (Day 1–2)

• ▢ 50 g Whole wheat berries

Sourdough Starter Levain (Day 2)

• ▢ 5 g Sourdough starter culture
• ▢ 35 g Water
• ▢ 30 g All-purpose flour or bread flour
• ▢ 5 g Rye flour

Main Dough (Day 2)

• ▢ 240 g Bread flour (80%)
• ▢ 60 g Stone-ground whole wheat flour (20%)
• ▢ 207 g Water (69% – for main autolyse)
• ▢ 27 g Cold water (9% – reserved for bassinage)
• ▢ 60 g Active levain (20% – from starter stage above)
• ▢ 6 g Salt (2%)
• ▢ All ground sprouted wheat berries (from stage above)

Equipment

• ▢
  Kitchen Scale
• ▢
  Stand Mixer (KitchenAid or standard mixer)
• ▢
  Food Processor (for grinding sprouted wheat berries)
• ▢
  Proofing Basket (Banneton) (or a loaf pan lined with a clean kitchen towel)
• ▢
  Cast Iron Pan with Lid / Dutch Oven (for capturing steam)
• ▢
  Scoring Lame (or sharp razor blade)
• ▢
  Parchment Paper

Method

Prevent Sleep ModePrevent Sleep Mode

Days 1 & 2: Sprout Wheat Berries

1. Day 1: Wash 50 g wheat berries, cover with water, and soak for 24 hours.
2. Day 2: Rinse berries and drain thoroughly. Place in a container covered with a wet paper towel for 12 hours (moisten paper towel if it dries out).
3. Rinse again and cover for another 12 hours. Small sprouts should appear across all berries by the 48-hour mark.

Day 2: Starter Build & Bulk Fermentation

1. Starter Build (7:00 AM): Whisk 5 g starter into 35 g water, then stir in 30 g bread/AP flour and 5 g rye flour. Cover loosely and let ferment at 74–78°F (23–26°C) for 8–10 hours until peaked and tripled in volume.
2. Autolyse (5:00 PM): Mix 207 g water with 240 g bread flour and 60 g stone-ground whole wheat flour until incorporated. Cover and rest for 1 hour.
3. Starter Integration (6:00 PM): Add 60 g active levain. Mix on low speed for 2–3 minutes (or KitchenAid speed 3 for 3–4 minutes). Rest for 30 minutes.
4. Bassinage & Salt (6:30 PM): Add 6 g salt and 27 g cold extra water. Mix on low speed for 2–3 minutes (or KitchenAid speed 3 for 5–6 minutes). dough should be cohesive yet sticky on bottom. Rest for 30 minutes.
5. Grind Berries & Lamination (7:00 PM): Grind sprouted berries in a food processor. Wet your work surface and hands, stretch dough thin (lamination), scatter ground berries evenly, fold dough, and rest for 45 minutes.
6. Stretch & Folds: Perform 3 sets of stretch-and-folds spaced 45 minutes apart (7:45 PM, 8:30 PM, 9:15 PM). Let dough proof for 30 minutes until 50% expanded and puffy.

Shaping & Cold Retard

1. Preshape (9:45 PM): Turn dough onto counter, dust with flour, flip, fold onto itself, and let rest uncovered for 30 minutes.
2. Shape (10:15 PM): Flip dough over, pull corners inward to build tension, and roll into a smooth, taut log.
3. Transfer seam-side up into a floured proofing basket, cover with plastic, rest at 80°F (27°C) for 15 minutes, then place into refrigerator for a 14–24 hour cold retard.

Day 3: Bake

1. Preheat oven to 500°F (260°C) with cast iron pan and lid inside for 45–60 minutes.
2. Flip cold dough onto parchment paper, score with a sharp lame, and transfer to hot cast iron pan.
3. Cover with lid and bake at 500°F (260°C) for 15 minutes.
4. Remove lid, lower heat to 450°F (232°C), and bake uncovered for 20 minutes until golden brown. Cool 2 hours before slicing!

Nutrition

Calories1423kcalCarbohydrates292gProtein49gFat7gSaturated Fat1gPolyunsaturated Fat3gMonounsaturated Fat1gSodium2347mgPotassium509mgFiber21gSugar1gVitamin A10IUCalcium94mgIron7mg

Notes

• The Nutritional Advantage of Sprouted Flour: Milled from whole grains that are soaked and allowed to sprout before being dried and ground, sprouted wheat flour provides incredible benefits over standard whole wheat. The sprouting process breaks down heavy starches and neutralizes phytic acid, making the essential minerals vastly easier for your body to absorb while unlocking an intensely sweet, nutty flavor.
• Why Sprouted Grain Gluten Tends to Feel Weaker: Sprouting grains naturally triggers enzyme activity that can make the resulting gluten structure slightly less elastic than standard bread flour. To combat this behavior, this recipe caps the sprouted flour ratio at a balanced 20% and utilizes a slow, cold 9-hour overnight autolyse. This workflow ensures maximum hydration and strength, leading to a tall, airy artisan profile.
• Alternative Hand Kneading Integration: If you do not own a stand mixer to complete steps 4 and 5, you can easily execute them by hand. Swap out the mechanical hook for the traditional Rubaud mixing method or standard slap-and-folds on your counter for roughly 5 to 7 minutes to integrate the starter, and about 10 minutes to finish the bassinage water and salt step. Be sure to pause for a couple of quick stops mid-knead to naturally tighten the gluten matrix.

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