If you click HERE you will see that I do a deep dive into this recipe from start to finish. This is a summary of the same recipe that I keep finding myself coming back to. It tastes great, it is not too dense, it is not too open, and it compliments any meal nicely. I am a big fan of other high-hydration loaves and loaves that have added ingredients, but this one is a classic. When teaching other people how to make bread, I generally find this to be a good jumping off point. Use any whole wheat flour you would like for this formula. I have currently been using a lot of whole grain Red Fife wheat flour from a Canadian company called Nunweilers , with great results. I've also done this bake with Spelt, Kamut, Emmer, and other whole wheat flours. Regardless of which grain you choose, this ratio will deliver a great tasting loaf of sourdough bread. Just keep in mind that different flours absorb water differently and you might need to make small adjustments between bakes depending on which grain you choose.
Ingredients (Two Loaves)
600g (75%) Robin Hood White Bread Flour/ All-Purpose
200g (25%) Nunweilers Whole Grain Red Fife Wheat
624g (78%) Water
16g (2%) Salt
160g (20%) Levain
Process
8:00am- Levain Build with 25g Starter, 75g warm water, 75g Flour blend (75% White, 25% Dark Rye)
12:00pm- Autolyse with 600g of the water
1:00pm- Mix in 160g of Levain
1:30pm- Mix in Salt with the remaining 24g of water
2:00pm- Coil Fold
2:30pm- Coil Fold
3:00pm- Coil Fold
4:00pm- Coil Fold
5:00pm- Coil Fold
6:30pm- Divide and Pre-shape
6:50pm- Shape and put into Banneton
7:00pm- Dough goes into the fridge overnight
7:00am- Preheat Oven and Cast Iron Cookers to 500°F or hotter
8:00am- Score the dough and bake at 450°F for 22 minutes with the lid on, then 20 minutes with the lid off.
Notes: This formula seems to work for almost any loaf I do. Depending on how busy I get during the day I do 4-6 folds throughout the Bulk Fermentation. As with all my breads, I try to do the first few folds closer together than the last ones. The Autolyse is a very flexible part of the process - I aim for anything between 40 minutes and 2 hours.
Your fermentation times may vary depending on a lot of different factors. Use these times for the folding and the duration of the Bulk Fermentation only as a guideline. What worked for me may need to be tweaked a little bit for your bake.