Flip over that “whole wheat” bread at the grocery store and read the ingredient list. Go ahead, I’ll wait. Fourteen ingredients, most of which you cannot pronounce. This whole wheat sourdough sandwich bread fixes that. It is made with simple, real ingredients and has all the good-for-your-gut benefits of a long sourdough ferment, plus the wholesome nuttiness of whole wheat flour. It bakes up into a beautiful, soft loaf that slices perfectly for school lunches and weekend sandwiches, and it is the kind of bread your family will actually get excited about eating.
If you are ready to take your sourdough baking to the next level, you are in the right place. I will walk you through every step so you feel confident from start to finish.
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Why We Love This Recipe
- This is a no-knead sourdough recipe, which means very little hands-on effort. You simply mix the dough, let it rise overnight, and bake it the next morning.
- This sandwich bread freezes beautifully. Bake two at a time, slice and freeze one, and you always have homemade sandwich bread ready without any extra effort.
- This recipe works with either a fed starter or discard, so you do not have to wait for the perfect timing to get started.
Just like our recipe for sourdough sandwich bread, they’re also easier to slice and hold up super well when loaded with all kinds of sandwich goodies.
And what’s not to love about sourdough? It’s got that signature tangy flavor and is delightfully fluffy and lightly chewy – with no eggs or yeast needed!
So skip the bagged bread at the store and make this recipe. I am sure you’ll fall in love with the relaxing baking process just as much as the family will love sandwiches made with thick slices of homemade bread!
Love sourdough recipes? Try our sourdough sandwich bread, Dutch oven sourdough bread, sourdough starter discard pancakes, and best sourdough pizza crust.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Active Sourdough starter – fed 12-24 hours before starting the recipe.
When we say active, we mean a mature starter that is at least a week old and always doubles in size within 4-6 hours of feeding. It doesn’t mean you need to use it at the peak activity after a feeding. - Whole wheat bread flour – I like to use King Arthur flour to make the most tender and soft bread for sandwiches.
If you want to make this recipe without whole wheat flour, you can use all bread flour. Or try using a mixture of all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour. - Sugar – granulated cane sugar or your preferred sweetener, like coconut sugar. For a sweeter bread loaf, increase the sugar to 2 tablespoons. Or, brush the top of the loaf with a mixture of 1 tablespoon of honey and 1/4 teaspoon of water before baking.
- Oil – we used extra virgin olive oil but you can use other neutral-flavored oil, like sunflower oil or melted butter.
- Salt – does more than just flavor the bread, It helps strengthen the gluten strands in the flour, helping the dough to rise.
If you don’t have an active starter, check out our 100% whole wheat bread and easy sandwich bread recipes.
Recipe Variations
- Add dried herbs or spices to the dough before baking. I recommend 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, rosemary, or thyme. Or mix in 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder, onion powder, or black pepper.
- For added flavor and texture to the bread, add up to 1/2 cup of raisins, dried cranberries, chopped nuts, or seeds when rolling up the dough.
How to Make Whole Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread
Mix the Dough Start by combining your sourdough starter, warm water, and sugar in a large bowl, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add both flours, the olive oil, and salt, then mix with a dough whisk or wooden spoon until a thick, shaggy dough forms. Flour your hands and finish bringing it together until all the flour is absorbed. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let it rest for 45 minutes.
Stretch and Fold After the rest, coax the dough out of the bowl and do a series of stretch and folds, pulling the dough about 4 inches and pressing it back down toward the center, rotating a quarter turn each time until you have gone all the way around. Return it to the bowl, cover, and let it ferment at room temperature for 4 to 12 hours depending on how warm your kitchen is, until it has doubled in size.
Shape the Loaf Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and gently stretch it into a rectangle. Use your fingertips to dimple the dough and release the air, then roll it into a log. Let it rest for 15 minutes, then tighten the log by gently dragging it toward you across the counter. Place it seam side down into a greased loaf pan.
Second Rise Cover and let the dough rise again for 1 to 2 hours until it has doubled. To test if it is ready, press the corner edge of the dough about half an inch. If the indentation stays, it is ready to bake.
Bake Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes until the top is a deep golden brown. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Try to wait at least an hour before slicing so the loaf has time to set up properly.
Serving Suggestions
This bread with whole wheat flour is delicious, served plain, toasted, or with your favorite sandwich loaf toppings. It’s also great for making sourdough French toast recipes or grilled cheese sandwiches.
They are also perfect to be dipped in our recipes like our cheeseburger soup, or easy stove top chili.
Recipe FAQs
This bread is made with whole wheat flour, which is a whole grain and good source of fiber. Another benefit of sourdough bread is that it contains lactic acid, which has been shown to have some health benefits like improving gut health.
Using whole wheat flour can make dough a little more difficult to work with and takes longer to rise. Also, using 100% whole wheat flour will give the bread a slightly denser texture.
Yes, you can use whole wheat flour to make a sourdough starter. The process is the same as if you were using all-purpose flour. In my homemade sourdough starter post, one of the starters I make uses whole wheat flour.
Store the cooled loaf in a plastic bag and keep it at room temperature for up to 5 days.
This bread is also great to freeze! Place in an airtight bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the loaf at room temperature, then slice and enjoy.
Check out our in-depth guide on how to store fresh sourdough bread to learn more!
More Easy Baked Recipes To Love…
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Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread (No-Knead Sandwich Bread)
Equipment
- loaf pan - standard sized, for other sizes see recipe notes below
- kitchen scale - (optional)
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup sourdough starter discard or fed 12-24 hours prior *see notes below
- 1⅓ cups warm water, filtered 95º to 100º F
- ¼ cup sugar or 2 rounded tablespoons honey
- 3 cups bread flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1½ Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Add the starter to a large bowl. Mix in warm water and sugar, stirring until dissolved. Add the bread flour and whole wheat flour, oil, and salt. Stir with a dough whisk or wooden spoon until a thick, shaggy dough forms. Flour your hands, and finish mixing dough by hand until all the flour has been absorbed. Cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 45 minutes.
- Coax the dough from the bowl and stretch and fold the dough by stretching 4 inches then pushing it down the middle and turning 1/4 until you make a circle. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with a damp towel (or plastic wrap if you live in a dry area) and and let rise at room temperature or a warm area 4-12 hours (see chart in notes) to ferment.
- After the bulk fermentation rise, lightly flour your countertop. Remove the dough from the bowl, gently stretching it into a rectangle, then use your fingers to dimple the dough to release the air from the dough. Roll the dough up, into a log shape. Cover and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
- Spray bread pan with cooking spray. Tighten the dough log by gently pulling it towards you along the counter top for 5-8". Place it in your loaf pan, seam side down. Cover and let rise for 1-2 hours, until dough has doubled in size. Press the corner edge of the dough in 1/2" and if the indentation remains, it's ready to bake.
- Preheat your oven to 375º. Bake sandwich bread in the center of the oven for 40 minutes. The top of the loaf should be golden in color. After 10 minutes, tilt the pan to remove the bread to cool on a cooling rack. Wait at least 1 hour before cutting (to prevent the loaf from deflating).
Notes
- 80ºF about 4-5 hours
- 75ºF about 6-7 hours
- 70ºF about 8-9 hours
- For temperatures under 70ºF it can take up to 12 hours or more
- Place the bowl in the oven with the door closed and light on to create a slightly warmer climate without actually turning the oven on.
- Use a heated mat (like those used for germinating seeds) for rising.
- Use the “proof” setting of your oven (I set mine to 85ºF) and set a timer. This will speed up the rising process, so check it at 4 and 6 hours.
- If there is a sunny room in the house that stays warm, keep the dough covered in that area.
- Check to see if the top of the loaf is golden and if it sounds hollow when tapped on.
- Check the internal temperature in the center of the bread. It should 195º – 200ºF when done.
- Let the bread cool completely. Store it in a plastic bag at room temperature. I use a plastic bread bag with a twist tie to seal it and it stays fresh for about 5 days.
- This sandwich bread is also great to freeze. Place in an airtight bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the loaf at room temperature, then slice and enjoy.
- Check out our in-depth guide on how to store fresh sourdough bread for more storage tips.
Nutrition
This post, originally published in November 2022, was updated with new information in February 2023.
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MeMyself&I says
Recipe is easy to follow. This was my first sandwich loaf. My loaf not only turned out beautifully, but it was also so tasty. Thank you for sharing. I’m going to attempt to tweak this by adding some honey. I’ve read through your comments. Thank you for sharing this recipe and the heads up regarding adding honey.
Deb says
I’m new to sourdough baking & this the 2nd time I’ve made a loaf of bread! It’s easy & turned out amazing! Hubby loves it! I am proud of ME! Thanks so much for sharing your recipes & helpful hints!