Think, Eat, Be Healthy

Sourdough Bread Recipe Variations

Whole wheat sourdough bread loaf

Whole wheat sourdough bread with 15% whole rolled oats and 15% whole grain millet flour. This loaf also has 15% unbleached wheat flour. Two cups of 100% whole wheat sourdough starter and 2/3 cup of unbleached poolish were used. The sponge and poolish fermented overnight in the refrigerator. The bulk dough rose overnight in the refrigerator and the loaf rose overnight in the refrigerator.

My sourdough bread recipe variations are typical of the way I cook in general. I like to experiment with new ingredients and try new combinations of common ingredients. I like to keep a lot of variety in my diet to maximize nutrition and minimize food boredom. It is good to find out what the limits are by going a little beyond them occasionally.

Since I bake a loaf of sourdough bread almost every week, I have accumulated plenty of sourdough bread recipe variations. In order to have repeatability and be able to figure out what causes success or failure, I change only one variable at a time and keep notes. It all starts with a good, basic recipe. If you are not familiar with the sourdough baking process, please review my favorite recipe.

Rustic loaves usually win out over pan loaves unless I want to make sandwiches. I love the thick, chewy, hardy crust and moist, springy interior crumb. Rustic loaves also have a longer shelf life than pan loaves. Pan loaves, with their more uniform shape and softer crust, are preferable for traditional sandwiches or for making croutons.

sourdough bread rustic and pan loaves

Any of the sourdough bread recipe variations can be baked as either a rustic loaf or a pan loaf.

One of the things I constantly experiment with is the type and amount of grains used in a sourdough loaf. Forty to fifty-five percent is my usual goal for whole wheat bread flour content in a loaf. I like to use at least 25% high-quality unbleached bread flour for a springy interior crumb and proper crust formation. For the remainder I might use whole-grain rye flour, millet flour, spelt flour or barley flour. Whole rolled oats, whole millet and whole quinoa are often added to the sponge. Each of these grains brings its own combination of texture and flavor to the bread.

whole wheat sourdough bread loaf

This is a simple loaf with only 55% whole wheat bread flour and 45% unbleached bread flour.

Seeds and nuts are other regular additions to my sourdough bread, adding both interesting texture and a lot of extra nutrition to every loaf. Sunflower seeds are a favorite. Sesame seeds, flax seeds and chia seeds also work well in many breads. Walnuts, almonds and other nuts can all be added to make unique sourdough bread recipe variations.

Other additions to the bread might include fresh herbs, sundried tomatoes, dried fruit, olives or spices. Fresh rosemary with sundried tomatoes and oil-cured olives is a great flavor combination in sourdough. Walnut, dried tart cherries and dried cranberries also works very well, harmonizing with the sourness of the bread.

Honey whole wheat sourdough bread loaf.

Honey whole wheat sourdough bread loaf.

Sourdough starter is a living community of both yeast and bacteria. This means the length of the rise time and the temperature both play an important role in the flavor and texture of the final bread. I like my sourdough really sour and longer rise times at lower temperatures favor the bacteria over the yeast, producing extra sourness. My usual bake routine has evolved into a three-day affair, with over-night rises in the refrigerator for the sponge, the bulk dough and the shaped loaf. This produces a very sour loaf with a fine, airy and springy interior crumb.

One day rises at room temperature or slightly warmer will favor the yeasts over the bacteria. The loaf will have a less distinct sour flavor. The interior crumb will be less fine and less even, with more larger air cavities. The flavors of the different grains used remain more intact with sorter, warmer rises, too.

The three-day rise generally fits into my schedule better. It only takes 10-15 minutes per day, late in the evening, over a period of three days, to produce a great loaf of bread. A room-temperature rise requires attention several times during a 12-14 hour time period.

Whole wheat sourdough bread with sundried tomato, olive and rosemary.

Whole wheat sourdough bread with sundried tomato, olive and rosemary.

Finally, there is the decision of whether or not to use poolish in a loaf. Poolish is equal amounts of wheat flour and water with a very small amount of commercial yeast added. It is allowed to ferment for up to five hours at room temperature or up to over-night in the the refrigerator. Think of it as the yeast version of sourdough starter. Much traditional French baking uses both a sourdough starter(levain) and a poolish. When I do use poolish, I like the over-night version. It adds a subtle, yeasty background flavor complexity to the sourdough. Poolish can also speed up room-temperature rise times when that is an issue.

Sourdough bread with dried fruit and sunflower seeds.

Sourdough bread with dried fruit and sunflower seeds.

Eating a healthy whole food diet, or any other diet, means keeping the food interesting enough to not want to stray away from the diet. I do this by constantly shaking things up, even if my basic ingredients don’t change much. Hopefully these sourdough bread recipe variations will inspire you to try the same sorts of changes with other recipes, too. Think of every recipe as springboard. Try substituting ingredients, adding ingredients, changing the cooking temperature and time, changing the seasonings, until you have made that recipe your own. Whole food health depends on variety, so keep mixing it up.

Honey oat sourdough bread.

Honey oat sourdough bread. This loaf uses honey instead of molasses and is 20% whole oats and 50% whole wheat.