Simple Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread Machine Recipe

I’m happy to share this much requested video and recipe! This a basic whole wheat sourdough loaf, but a good place to start if you are new to baking with whole grains (or sourdough) and want to enlist the help of your bread maker!

I purchased my Australian model Breville Bread Maker (model BBM100) second hand (which I encourage wholeheartedly!).

Here is the video on YouTube for the full demonstration and all my tips!

The ingredients and basic method are written below.

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Simple Whole Wheat Sourdough made in a Bread Machine

Using 100% freshly milled whole wheat, no commercial yeast added

INGREDIENTS
Add to machine in order listed:

• 400g water (1.6 metric cups)
  In summer I use cold water with my freshly milled flour.

• 25g honey (1 metric Australian tablespoon, or 20ml)

• 100g sourdough starter (about half a cup)
  My starter is whole wheat, 100% hydration, used straight from the fridge.
  I use this easy sourdough starter maintenance method.

• 500g whole wheat flour (3.5 - 4 metric cups)
  I mill my flour fresh using my Mockmill 200, as demonstrated in the video.

• 8g salt (1 and 1/3 tsp)
  I use regular Australian table salt (sea salt). Any finely ground salt will be fine - iodised salt works too.

METHOD
See the video for the full tutorial and discussion.

1. Ensure that the paddle/mixing blade attachment is secured in the baking pan of your bread machine. Add ingredients to the machine in the order listed above. I like to do this while the baking pan is removed from the machine to prevent any spills inside the baking chamber.

2. Select the ‘dough’ cycle on your machine, press start and allow the machine to knead the dough until the mixing is complete. In my Breville Baker’s Oven this takes 30 minutes. In hot weather I would set my timer and stop the kneading sooner, after 10 or 15 minutes, to prevent the dough from overheating and over-fermenting later in the process.

3. Once the dough mixing has finished, turn off the dough cycle (I turn the machine off completely) to prevent further warming of the dough. For regular yeast doughs it is fine to continue the dough cycle, however whole grain sourdough breads benefit from longer, cooler fermentation temperatures. Overheating any sourdough bread dough can cause issues, as I explain in this blog post and video talk.

4. Ferment the dough inside the machine until risen to about 1.5 times its original volume (look for total volume increase - including sideways - as well as a rise in height). Depending on your climate and ambient temperatures, this may take anywhere between three and six hours.

5. Once the dough has risen, you have two options:

   1. Bake the dough straight away (proceed to baking step below)

   2. Or, shape the dough for another rise before baking.

6. If shaping and proofing the dough before baking, remove the dough from the bread pan, remove the kneading blade/paddle attachment from the pan and coat the remaining metal pin with non-stick spray, butter or home made pan release mixture. Shape the dough gently by rolling it up a couple of times to form a basic loaf shape (see video). Add tension to the dough as you roll it, being careful not to tear the surface (don’t roll too tight). Place the dough back into the baking pan.

7. Proof the dough for 1-2 hours until it has risen again to about 1.5 times original size and feels a bit light and puffy. Don’t over-proof it though! 100% whole grain sourdough can very easily over-ferment causing breakdown of the gluten structure in the dough.

8. Using the ‘bake only’ setting, bake the dough for 1 hour and 10-15 minutes. My machine’s ‘bake only’ setting is not adjustable, so once the loaf has completed one bake cycle (1 hour), I restart it and bake for another 15 minutes using my own timer.

9. Unplug the machine, remove the bread from the pan and place on a cooling rack. Leave the dough to cool for at least two hours before slicing. Enjoy!

Looking for more?

• Learn more about sourdough terminology and techniques

• Visit my whole grain sourdough YouTube channel

• Learn how to make and maintain a sourdough starter

• Find out about my Mockmill 200 and where you can purchase one from just about anywhere in the world!
  (There are discounts available in some locations).

• If you would like to support my work you can ‘buy me a coffee’ here (big thanks to all of you who have 🌼)

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