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

1219kcal

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Prep 45 minutes mins

Cook 35 minutes mins

Rise & Rest Time 25 minutes mins

Total 1 day d 3 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

This recipe delivers an exceptionally nutritious, deeply flavorful artisan loaf with a lower glycemic index and enhanced digestibility. By utilizing flour milled from sprouted whole wheat berries, you achieve a lighter crumb with a natural, subtle sweetness that sets it apart from traditional whole wheat varieties.

Servings 1 loaf

Course Artisan Sourdough

Cuisine Artisan Sourdough

Ingredients

1x2x3x

Sourdough Starter Levain (Night Before)

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

The Overnight Cold Autolyse (Night Before)

• ▢ 240 g Bread flour (80%)
• ▢ 60 g Sprouted whole wheat flour (20%)
• ▢ 210 g Main water (70%)

The Main Dough Final Adjustments

• ▢ 60 g Active sourdough starter levain (20% – From the stage above)
• ▢ 6 g Salt (2%)
• ▢ 30 g Cold water (10% – Held back as bassinage adjustment water)

Equipment

• ▢
  Stand Mixer (A KitchenAid or standard mixing machine handles the high-hydration sprouted flour matrix beautifully)
• ▢
  Proofing Basket (Banneton or a clean bowl cleanly lined with a dry kitchen towel)
• ▢
  Cast Iron Pan with Lid (Or a heavy Dutch oven to capture pressurized steam for an explosive oven spring)
• ▢
  Sharp Scoring Lame (Or a fresh razor blade for clean expansion cuts)
• ▢
  Parchment Paper
• ▢
  Kitchen Scale

Method

Prevent Sleep ModePrevent Sleep Mode

Night Before – Levain Optimization & Cold Autolyse

1. 10:00 PM – Starter Build: In a small glass jar, add your 5g of starter culture to 35g of water and whisk together cleanly. Stir in 30g of all-purpose or bread flour and 5g of rye flour. Mix thoroughly, cover loosely, and let it sit at room temperature 74–78°F (23–26°C) overnight for 8 to 10 hours until the starter reaches its peak and at least triples in volume.
2. 10:00 PM – Overnight Cold Autolyse: In your stand mixer bowl, combine all 240g of bread flour, 60g of sprouted whole wheat flour, and 210g of main water. Mix thoroughly with a spoon just until all dry flour patches entirely disappear. Cover tightly and place the bowl into a chilled environment kept at 50°F (9°C) to rest overnight. During this extended rest, the sprouted grains completely absorb the water, softening the bran and flawlessly initiating gluten development.

Day 2 – Core Mixing & Bulk Fermentation Folds

1. 7:00 AM – Temperature Equalization: Remove your cold autolysed dough from the refrigerator and let it sit undisturbed on your counter for 1 full hour to warm back up cleanly to room temperature.
2. 8:00 AM – Sourdough Starter Integration: Add 60g of your active overnight starter peak directly into the warmed autolysed dough mass. Turn your mixing machine on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes (or use a KitchenAid mixer on speed 3 for 3 to 4 minutes) until the starter is completely incorporated. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
3. 8:30 AM – Bassinage & Salt Incorporation: Add your 6g of salt along with the remaining 30g of cold bassinage water into the bowl. This secondary hydration step helps organize elasticity. Mix on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes (or on a KitchenAid on speed 3 for 5 to 6 minutes) until the liquid is fully absorbed. The dough will pull together cleanly but should remain sticky on the bottom of the mixing bowl. Let rest for 30 minutes at a stable warm temperature of 74–78°F (23–26°C).
4. 9:00 AM – Table Stretch and Fold: Spray your clean work surface lightly with water and wet your hands. Gently tip the sticky dough out and execute one large stretch and fold on the table to lock in structural tension. Fold the dough cleanly over onto itself, place it into a bulk proofing container, cover, and let rest for 45 minutes.
5. 9:45 AM – 1st Stretch & Fold: Wet your hands slightly. Lift one side of the dough up cleanly from the container edge and fold it directly over the center. Repeat this action for all four quadrants of the dough mass to build structured vertical strength. Cover and let rest for 45 minutes.
6. 10:30 AM – 2nd Stretch & Fold: Execute your second structured round of quadrant folds to continue organizing the expanding gluten network. Cover and let rest for 45 minutes.
7. 11:15 AM – 3rd Stretch & Fold: Execute the third and final stretch-and-fold round. Cover and let the dough proof completely untouched for 30 minutes at a warm 76–80°F (24–27°C). The dough should look visibly lighter, show distinct surface bubbles, and hit a clean 50% volume rise.

Preshaping, Tension Rolling, and Cold Retard

1. 11:45 AM – Preshaping: Gently tip the expanded dough out onto your work surface and dust the top lightly with flour. Flip the mass over so the floured side faces directly down. Fold the outer edges cleanly onto itself so that the raw flour coating remains entirely on the outside of the loaf. Round the dough into a loose ball and let it rest on your counter completely uncovered for 30 minutes to relax the gluten network.
2. 12:15 PM – Final Shaping: Dust the top of the resting dough round with flour. Use a dough scraper to flip it over onto your counter so the floured side faces down. Starting at the edge closest to you, pull the two right corners of the dough outward and fold them up into the center. Repeat this exact matching movement across the left side. Roll the dough tightly away from you, shaping it into a perfectly smooth, taut, uniform log.
3. Basket Stabilization & Fridge Retard: Transfer the shaped roll seam-side up into your well-floured proofing basket. Cover with plastic wrap and return the basket to a warm 80°F (27°C) spot for exactly 15 minutes to stabilize. Slide the basket directly into your refrigerator to rise slowly for 14 to 24 hours of cold fermentation retard.

Day 3 – Blazing Cast Iron Bake

1. Next Morning – Preheating: Preheat your oven to 500°F (260°C). Place your cast iron pan and lid onto the middle rack to heat up thoroughly for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
2. Scoring & Loading: Remove the cold dough basket from the fridge. Flip it over gently onto a sheet of parchment paper and score the smooth surface with one clean, long, deep cut using a sharp lame or razor blade.
3. The Steam Bake: Transfer the dough carefully onto the smoking hot cast iron pan base, drop the heavy lid down tightly to lock in the steam, and bake at 500°F (260°C) with the lid on for exactly 15 minutes.
4. The Open Bake: Carefully lift the hot lid off to expose the loaf, lower the oven temperature to 450°F (232°C), and continue baking bare for an additional 20 minutes until the crust turns an incredibly deep, crispy golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack for 2 full hours before slicing!

Nutrition

Calories1219kcalCarbohydrates245gProtein44gFat6gSaturated Fat1gPolyunsaturated Fat3gMonounsaturated Fat1gCholesterol9mgSodium442mgPotassium596mgFiber14gSugar1gVitamin A19IUVitamin C0.2mgCalcium80mgIron6mg

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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