Dutch Oven Sourdough Bread With Whole Wheat

By: Amber Grangroth

Who doesn’t love a delicious slice of fresh bread that is perfectly soft and chewy on the inside and crusty on the outside? This bread is simply flour, water, salt and sourdough starter that is allowed to ferment and then baked in a Dutch Oven to create a beautiful loaf!

This Dutch Oven Sourdough Bread makes a phenomenal panini, goes perfectly alongside soups and casseroles, toasted with butter and jam (or my husbands favorite – honey!), cut up and turned into stuffing at Thanksgiving, or Oven French Toast for Christmas Morning!

A few years ago, in 2020, when my boys were suddenly home from school for the remainder of the year, we sat down and watched a video on how to make our own sourdough starter. We named her Suzy Sourdough! That was the beginning of our love of all things sourdough!

When I began making sourdough bread I quickly became overwhelmed with how much information was out there with fancy terminology and so many steps! I cant say that i didn’t have a few failures as i was learning but i kept trying and i got it! So if you are new to sourdough i’m cheering you on! Don’t give up, you will get it!

Why make sourdough? Sourdough is a fermented food, the yeast that is naturally occurring in the starter raises the bread. The fermentation breaks down the grain to make it more easily digestible and nutrient dense. It contains less gluten then traditionally made bread.

Before using your sourdough starter to make bread, it needs to be fed. Feed your starter equal parts filtered water and unbleached flour.(I don’t actually measure. I Just look for a thick pancake batter like consistency of the starter) I use well water and have never had a problem.

For example, if you have approximately 1/2 cup of sourdough starter, feed it about 1/2 cup of water and a heaping 1/2 cup flour or more if your recipe is calling for more starter. Let sit covered in a warm place in your kitchen until doubled. It is easiest to see if your starter is doubled by putting it in a jar with straight sides and place a rubber band on it or marking a line with a permanent marker. Once doubled, it is ready to use!

Once my starter has doubled, I’m ready to mix up my dough! Mix down the starter to reduce the air bubbles, measure out the starter, and add to a large bowl. Next, add warm water and mix. Now add whole wheat flour and bread flour. (I have also used all-purpose flour, and it turned out just fine!) Mix until a shaggy dough forms. Cover with a towel and let sit for 30-60 minutes.

Next, sprinkle salt over the top and pinch it in and then form a ball by doing stretch and folds and turn upside down. Let sit for 30 min covered and repeat stretch and folds every 30 min for a total of 5 times. To stretch and fold, simply pick up one spot and pull it, and fold it over the top. Turn the bowl one quarter and repeat until you have done four stretches and folds. I dont set a timer. Just try to do the stretch and folds every 20-40 minutes. You should notice the dough starting to rise and air bubbles forming.

After the stretch and folds are done, dump out onto a lightly floured surface and divide the dough into 2 loaves. Twist and tuck the dough until a tight ball is formed. Lightly flour the top of the dough and the bannetons. Bowls lined with parchment paper or a flour sack towel will also work if you don’t have bannetons. Place Loaf upside down in the banneton and cover. Let sit for an hour or two before placing in the fridge. Then refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat the oven to 450 with the empty dutch oven inside. Place a cookie sheet on the rack below the dutch oven to help prevent the bottom of your bread from getting too dark. Lightly flour a piece of parchment paper. Flip the dough out onto the parchment paper and score with a sharp knife or scoring blade. While you don’t need a scoring knife, it makes it so much easier to make a pretty design!

Once the oven is preheated, place the dough on the parchment paper into the dutch oven and put the lid on. Bake for 30 min covered and 15 minutes uncovered. Remove and let cool for at least one hour before slicing.

Dutch Oven Sourdough Bread With Whole Wheat Recipe

1 cup active bubbly starter
3 cups warm water
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
5 cups bread flour
1 T Himalayan salt

1. Mix starter with water and flour to form a shaggy dough. Cover and let sit for 30-60 minutes
2. Sprinkle salt on top and pinch in. Then stretch and fold four times to form a ball and flip upside down. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes. Repeat stretch and folds every 30 minutes for a total of 5 times. Wet your hand to prevent the dough from sticking to it.
3. Dump out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into two loaves. Form into tight balls by twisting and tucking. Flour the top of the dough and a banneton and place upside down into the banneton.
4. Cover and let rest a room temp for 1-2 hours If time allows. Then place in the fridge overnight for the long ferment. Side note: If your bread is not forming air pockets or rising you may need to let it sit at room temperature for a few hours before baking. If you press gently with your finger and it springs back it is ready to bake!
5. The next day preheat the oven to 450°F with the dutch oven inside. Place a cookie sheet on the rack below to prevent the bottom of your bread from getting too dark.
6. Lightly flour a piece of parchment paper and flip the dough out onto the piece of parchment paper. Add more flour to the top if you would like, this makes the design stand out more but not necessary! Create a design with your scoring blade or a sharp knife. And place into the hot dutch oven and cover with the lid.
7. Place into the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes covered and 15 minutes uncovered. Repeat with the second loaf. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour before slicing. Enjoy!