Honey Whole Wheat Sourdough Discard Bread
The best whole wheat sandwich bread with a sweet taste of honey, a subtle nutty flavor from the whole wheat and a little tang from the sourdough discard. This bread is sure to be a new favorite!
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 40 min
- Yield
- 16 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 310 grams warm water (90-95ºF, about 1 1/4 cups)
- 84 grams honey (about 1/4 cup)
- 14 grams instant yeast (about 1 Tablespoon)
- 100 grams sourdough discard (100% hydration, see recipe notes, about 1/2 cup)
- 500 grams whole wheat flour (12.5% protein content, about 3 2/3 cup)
- 15 grams vital wheat gluten (about 1 1/2 Tablespoons)
- 6 grams salt (about 1 teaspoon)
Instructions
- 1
Mix: To the bowl of a stand mixer add warm water, honey and instant yeast. Watch for the instant yeast to activate. It will begin to cling together and you will notice a sweet "yeasty" smell.
- 2
Add in the sourdough discard, salt, whole wheat flour and vital wheat gluten. Mix until completely combined and the dough feels tacky (not super sticky) and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. I like to reserve about 1/2 a cup of the whole wheat flour and add it in as the dough kneads together, making sure that I'm not adding too much flour to the dough.
- 3
Knead for 8-10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Add more flour a Tablespoon at a time if needed, being careful not to over-flour the dough. Find out more about readiness of the dough here.
- 4
First Rise: Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place for about an hour or until just about doubled in size. The temperature of your dough and ambient temperature will determine how quickly the dough rises.
- 5
Shaping: Once risen, turn the dough out onto the countertop. Pat the dough into a small rectangle about the size of a 9 by 5 loaf pan (use your pan as a guide). Starting closest to you, roll the dough up tightly, pressing in at the seam with every roll. After it forms a cylinder, pinch the seam closed.
- 6
Second Rise: Spray the bread pan if it's not non-stick and place the dough into the bread pan. Cover with a shower cap or kitchen towel. Let the dough rise again, for about an hour until just about doubled in size. Once doubled, take your finger and press it gently into the side of the dough. If the dough springs back just a little but leaves a small indentation, it's ready to bake.
- 7
Bake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake loaf in preheated oven for 38-40 minutes. Brush top of warm bread with butter. Let the bread cool completely before slicing the bread with a bread knife. Enjoy!