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Sprouted Wheat Sourdough

Sprouted Wheat Sourdough Bread

1423kcal
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Prep 45 minutes
Cook 35 minutes
Wheat Berry Sprouting 2 days
Total 3 days 3 hours
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

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

Method

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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