It’s been hard to source flours and grains lately (April 2020 – the lockdown!), and one day when I saw some all purpose flour (‘plain flour’ in Australia) in the supermarket I grabbed it! I was running low on my whole wheat grain and wanted to make what remained last, so I started making these 50% whole wheat and AP flour loaves, and they were a hit! In my usual style this is a relatively easy, straightforward way to make a loaf of sourdough bread. Apart from the stretch and folds, there are no fancy techniques, just mix it, ferment it, shape it and bake it – all in one day. I hope you enjoy the video!
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Here is the full ingredients list for this recipe:
** Note that the volume measurements are metric and are approximate measures only – you may need to tweak this recipe to suit your own flours.
250g (just under 2 cups) stone ground whole wheat flour (unsifted – mine was freshly milled)
250g (1 and 3/4 cups) all purpose or ‘plain’ flour (I used Aldi band. Cheap as chips!)
8g (1.5 teaspoons) salt – any kind will do
416g (1 and 2/3 cup) water (this was an 85% hydration dough)
** Use less water if your whole wheat flour is sifted or isn’t made from hard or high protein wheat – not all flours can take the same amount of water as my thirsty Australian hard white wheat! My flour was freshly milled at home too, so it does absorb a lot of water.
120g (1/2 cup) whole wheat or other sourdough starter
** I use my starter cold, straight from the fridge, even if it’s a few days old. This starter for this video was 100% hydration.
Basic method – Mix the ingredients. Bulk ferment with stretch and folds until the dough starts to become gassy (be careful not to overferment it, especially in hot weather!). Pre-shape then shape the dough. Preheat your oven to 220°C (428°F) when the dough is close to ready, at least 20 minutes before baking. When your dough is risen and getting jiggly, bake it covered or uncovered for anywhere between 45 and 60 minutes (just use whatever baking set-up you have, you could even bake this in a loaf pan! This video may give you more ideas on baking set-up options
If you bake your loaf uncovered, it may need less time than if it’s covered. The timing of baking also depends on your oven, and how dark you like your crust 🙂
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Thanks everyone!
Happy baking,
Elly