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Whole Grain Sourdough Discard Sandwich Bread

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If you keep a sourdough starter you may find yourself with a jar of unfed starter and need a recipe to use up that discard. This whole grain sourdough discard sandwich loaf is the perfect recipe for that!

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Having milled my own wheat for fresh flour for years, I love trying new recipes with whole grain flour and sourdough.

loaf of whole grain sourdough discard sandwich bread on a cutting board
A good bread knife is imperative when baking your own bread at home.

This recipe uses some instant yeast along with the sourdough starter to make for a lofty, soft, and delicious loaf!

You can also use active sourdough starter for this loaf and have the same amazing results.

Why grind your own wheat?

Flour you buy at the store is sifted of the germ and bran to prolong it’s shelf life. Unfortunately, the bran and germ are where all the nutrients are.

You end up with a flour that is void of fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

wheat berries going through a grain mill
Grinding your own wheat is actually very easy to do with an electric grain mill.

I often call it a dead flour. It is really just empty carbohydrates.

When you mill your own wheat berries, the flour is fresh with all of the nutrients intact.

The bread products you make with freshly milled flour have so much more flavor and are much better for your health!

picture of loaf of sourdough discard sandwich bread on a cutting board

Why use sourdough discard for a bread recipe?

Even if you are not long fermenting your bread with sourdough, adding the sourdough starter will enhance the flavor of the loaf.

The starter adds a slight tang to the bread that really can’t be replicated any other way.

sourdough bread dough rising in a bowl
Properly kneaded bread dough is glossy and stretchy.

Of course, I recommend long fermenting your sourdough bread products, however, there are times when you may be in a pinch for time and need a quicker loaf that uses up some of your starter. This will be the perfect recipe for that.

Why you will love this recipe:

This recipe is easy! I love how quickly I can mix up this recipe and have it baked.

From start to finish this recipe will take approximately 3 to 3 1/2 hours to make.

Compared to a long fermented recipe, this is a huge time saver in a pinch!

sourdough bread dough that has risen to the top of a loaf pan
I love using cast iron loaf pans for my bread baking.

This recipe is in grams making for consistent results every single time.

There is a small amount of raw honey in this loaf that is optional. Foregoing the honey, this loaf has no added sugar.

There are no special ingredients. No lecithin, gluten, or dough enhancers.

What you will need for this recipe:

Freshly milled flour or store bought whole grain flour: I choose to mill my own flour, however, if you don’t have a grain mill you can use store bought whole grain flour in this recipe. (See below for wheat berry suggestion)

wheat berries in a wooden cup in hand
Using freshly milled flour in baking makes for the most nutritious breads!

Wheat Berries: For this recipe, I used 1/2 hard white wheat and 1/2 hard red wheat. You can use any combination you choose. It is recommended that you use a hard wheat for bread recipes.

Water: Use a good quality filtered water.

Sourdough discard/starter: You may use either discard or active sourdough starter for this recipe.

sourdough starter overhead shot
A bubbly starter is a happy starter!

Salt: I prefer Redmond’s Real Salt.

Olive oil: I high quality organic olive oil will give the best flavor.

Honey: I prefer using raw honey. You can omit the honey all together with no issues.

Instant Yeast: You can use active dry yeast if you prefer. You will need to bloom the yeast in a quarter cup of warm water before adding to the recipe.

We go through a lot of bread on the Homestead. This whole grain sourdough discard sandwich bread is a favorite!

What equipment will you need to make this recipe:

Step by Step Instructions for making Whole Grain Sourdough Sandwich Bread:

Using a kitchen scale, weigh out 875 grams of wheat berries.

Grind your wheat berries as per your grain mill instructions for bread flour.

Weigh out 500 grams of water. Heat the water to lukewarm and add to the bowl of a stand mixer.

Add 100 grams of sourdough starter, 50 grams of olive oil, and 20 grams of honey (if using).

Pulse the liquid ingredients together.

whole grain sourdough discard bread dough shaped into a log ready for the bread pan
Shaping the bread dough properly makes for a better rise in the oven.

Add all of the flour and mix until just combined and no dry flour remains.

Cover and allow this mixture to soak for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, add 2 tsp salt and 3 tsp instant yeast.

Mix well and using speed 2 knead the dough for 8-10 minutes or until soft and stretchy.

Transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl and allow to rise until doubled. About an hour to an hour and a half.

Prepare bread pans by spritzing with a bit of oil.

Punch the dough down and divide into 2 equal parts.

sliced pieces of whole grain sourdough discard bread on cutting board with bread knife beside them
This whole grain sourdough discard sandwich bread is light and airy. Perfect for sandwiches.

Roll out the dough flat to get all the air bubbles out.

Roll the dough back up into a loaf shape and pinch the seam to seal it.

Place in loaf pan and cover. Allow to rise until it is 1-2 inches over the top of the pan.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake the loaves for 35 minutes. The internal temperature should read at least 195 degrees F.

Storage Tips

Allow the loaves to cool completely before slicing.

Store in bread bags on the counter for 5-7 days.

These loaves freeze remarkably well.

Slice cooled loaf and put in freezer safe bag. Bread will last in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Take the loaf out the night before you will need it and it will thaw on the counter.

whole grain sourdough discard bread that just came out of the oven
Nothing smells better than fresh bread out of the oven!

loaf of sandwich bread on a cutting board

Whole Grain Sourdough Discard Sandwich Bread

Yield: 2 loaves
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Additional Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes

A sourdough discard sandwich bread made with freshly milled flour

Ingredients

  • 875 grams wheat berries
  • 500 grams lukewarm water
  • 100 grams sourdough discard
  • 50 grams olive oil
  • 20 grams honey
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 3 tsp instant yeast

Instructions

Weigh out the wheat berries on a kitchen scale.

Grind the wheat berries in a grain mill. You can also use 875 grams of store bought whole grain flour.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the water, starter, oil, honey, and flour. Mix well.

Cover and allow to soak for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, add the salt and yeast.

Mix well and knead on speed 2 for 10 minutes or until smooth and stretchy.

You can knead by hand as well.

Place the kneaded dough into a large mixing bowl. Cover and allow to rise until doubled. About 1-1 1/2 hours.

Punch down the dough.

Divide into 2 equal parts.

Roll each part out flat and then roll up again into a log shape. Take care to seal the seam.

Place each log in a prepared loaf pan.

Cover and allow to rise until 1-2 inches over the top of the bread pan.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Bake for 35 minutes or until internal temperature is at least 195 degrees F.

Allow to cool completely before slicing.

Notes

Loaf can be frozen. Allow to cool and slice. Place in a ziplock freezer bag and freeze.

Loaves will last at room temperature on the counter for up to 5 days.

Nutrition Information
Yield 12 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 134Total Fat 5gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 0mgSodium 441mgCarbohydrates 20gFiber 3gSugar 2gProtein 4g

This website provides recipes and calculates the nutritional value to best of our ability. There may be slight variations in nutritional value based upon the alternative ingredients you may have on hand to use.

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9 Comments

  1. Hi Mary:)
    The recipe looks lovely !! And…I just wanted to let you know on the printable recipe at the top it says the yield is one loaf, but from reading through the recipe and the quantity of ingredients it seems to be that it makes 2 loaves.
    Kind regards – Linda

    1. You can but it takes a long time kneading. I suggest kneading for 10-15 minutes. That usually makes for a properly kneaded dough.

  2. This is the second time making this recipes. We love the flavor. However, I cannot roll it after the first rise. It is still really wet and there is no way to roll it. It just goes out into a blob. Should I be adding more flour since this has happened twice? I have been super careful in the measurements to follow exactly what you have said. So I don’t feel like it is a measuring mistake because I’ve ended up with the same dough twice. So then I just lay it in the bread pan and there is no smoothness or rounding to the loaf. Any help would be appreciated. I just feel like it is a really wet dough that doesn’t have enough flour to work with?

  3. Hey Mary! My dough was REALLY stiff. Others are saying theirs was too wet! Measurements were all accurate; used half hard white and half hard red, and included the honey. It was so stiff I couldn’t even knead it by hand, so I just plopped it in a bowl to ferment for about 90 mins. Then it softened and I was able to shape it properly. However, when I baked it it didn’t rise well probably due to the lack of kneading. Not sure what happened??

    1. It could very dry in your kitchen? When you first mix the dough, if it’s way to dry try adding a bit more water to get the right texture before kneading. Not sure about it not rising, what kind of yeast did you use?

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