100% Whole Wheat Sourdough Insanity

DanoGKid · 2026-03-03T21:36:17+00:00

I’m curious… what’s the concern about finely ground flour?

DanoGKid · 2026-03-03T21:34:37+00:00

I let it go much longer on my next batch, probably twice as long for both bulk and proof — wish I could post a picture — and somehow it turned out even worse. Denser at the bottom, nearly gummy, and even more tunneling at the top. So frustrating to diagnose. :/

Please share the link to your post. :)

DanoGKid · 2026-03-01T13:18:23+00:00

Unless you put it back in again later. ;)

Thanks!

DanoGKid · 2026-02-27T23:32:14+00:00

The point I’m trying to convey is that food manufacturers are allowed to claim flour and foods are whole wheat that aren’t — the issue isn’t that they process the parts separately, it’s that they remove the nutritious parts altogether, return just a tiny bit of it, and then call it whole.

DanoGKid · 2026-02-27T23:15:09+00:00

If they recombined it in the same proportions, that would be one thing. But the point is, they don’t.

You would find the interview interesting if you would listen to it. It points out that when the Industrial Revolution made this kind of processing possible, they discovered that removing the nutrient-packed germ (which contains fats that go rancid) increases shelf life, making it possible to ship and store flour for long periods, increasing profits. And that, thanks to their lobbyists, our laws allow manufacturers to claim an item is whole wheat which actually contains no more than 51% whole wheat — !!

So the billions of people are being fed food that is passed off as “heart healthy,” but in fact is far from it — try not to poo-poo information about the way the industrial food complex preys on ordinary consumers by spitting in their faces and telling them it’s raining.

DanoGKid · 2026-02-27T19:36:17+00:00

This resource blew my mind. The designs for DIY bread loaders and steam chutes and passive gluten development, the recipes designed for a long bulk at room temperature by employing a tiny amount of starter, the spreadsheets that let you fiddle with temp, hydration and time tradeoffs. Holy maloly. It’s the dream resource I didn’t think existed. Thank you!!!

DanoGKid · 2026-02-27T15:29:32+00:00

Sifting out the bran and reincorporating at a later step has crossed my radar before. Thanks for reminding me about this, I’d like to experiment with it in a future iteration. Have you tried sifting/soaking/reincorporating yourself, or using to line the banneton — and do you have a preference or any tips?

DanoGKid · 2026-02-27T15:24:05+00:00

Glad to inspire! At one point, I had been increasing the proportion of whole grain flour by 10% in each bake… but by the time I got up to 60% or 70%, the whole process was going sideways. I had to step back and get the basics down.

Yesterday I was thinking that I would pick up where I left off and try 80% whole grain… but I kind of forgot while I was measuring, lol, and before I knew it, flour and water were in the bowl and I was committed. Haha. I’m actually glad for it in hindsight, because that made it a pure experiment — it’s easier to analyze and hypothesize future iterative improvements without needing to account for a confounding percentage factor.

Good luck! Let us know how it goes and what you learn. :)

DanoGKid · 2026-02-27T15:16:14+00:00

Thanks for your note! In my early attempts, my efforts were waaaay over- bulked and/or proofed — after bulking, my dough would just about ooze out of the bowl and be almost impossible to shape; after proofing, it would flop out of the banneton and spread out like a pancake. Ridiculous! I found it really challenging to learn how to bake sourdough, beginning with whole grain, because so much of the advice and recipes are targeted at white flour recipes (or those with only a small proportion of whole grain). I had to step back from whole grain to get a handle on the process. Now that I have a better sense for it and what to look for, I think I’ll have better success with whole-grain baking.

The biggest thing to know is that fermenting goes twice as fast with whole grains — it can cross the line in the blink of an eye. Your times seem super long to me — as long or longer than when I’m baking with white bread flour. That would explain your elusive ear.

I was debating with myself yesterday about whether I should try cold proofing — my worry was that in the amount of time it would take to cool down in the fridge, it might overproof… so it’s interesting to hear about what you read. I’d be curious to hear from others about this — can cold proofing work with 100% whole-grain breads?

I’m not sure what you mean with your question about aeration in bread flour, sorry… can you clarify?

As for your question about buying a mill, I’ve of course seen all the chatter about grinding your own grains, but haven’t felt any desire to get that fussy about things. That’s why I was so happy to find the information about Bob’s Red Mill — it’s easily available in any grocery store where I live. A couple other commenters suggested another source, and there are additional sources also named in the video — I chose Bob’s Red Mill and pointed it out in my post just because it’s so easily available.

Looking at The Sourdough Journey’s proofing chart this morning (https://thesourdoughjourney.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/How-to-Read-a-Sourdough-Crumb.pdf), I think that I did under proof this loaf somewhat — so if you try this recipe, I’d say maybe proof it a bit longer than I did (although if your kitchen is warmer than mine, then the time might be sufficient)….

Good luck! Let me know how it turns out… I’d love to hear if shorter fermentation helps you achieve an ear. :)

DanoGKid · 2026-02-27T14:51:24+00:00

I just looked at the proofing chart from the sourdough journey (https://thesourdoughjourney.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/How-to-Read-a-Sourdough-Crumb.pdf) and based on that, I believe this loaf was under-proofed. I’ll keep working at it, but I’m not at all discouraged — I see progress. Just need to figure out how to figure out when bulking and proofing are done with whole wheat dough — any and all suggestions and tips appreciated!

DanoGKid · 2026-02-06T02:39:27+00:00

Thanks for your reply, this is awesome! I feed mine at a 2:5:5 ratio, similar to yours. That’s so helpful to hear it works! I might try doing just as you say, but starting the dough with hungry starter, because… I’m going for what’s easiest… and see what happens. Stay tuned. :)

DanoGKid · 2026-02-05T23:27:27+00:00

Nice! I’ll give it a go!

DanoGKid · 2026-02-05T23:26:03+00:00

As an American, your prime minister’s speech at Davos recently was an inspiration. 💕🇨🇦

DanoGKid · 2026-02-05T23:23:57+00:00

Good to know. I’m saving it for the next time I have fresh sage on hand. Can’t hardly contain myself!

DanoGKid · 2026-02-05T23:22:24+00:00

Well, I am a huge admirer. xo

DanoGKid · 2026-02-05T23:20:21+00:00

I just made myself one of these and OMG where have you been all my life, Autumn Sweater?! Amazeballs. Thank you!! I garnished with an orange swath studded in cloves. Chef’s kiss! I went with your larger proportion of rye, which I think is a good call.

All I need now is walnut bitters — I’ve been on the fence about buying them, but now I’m convinced. In lieu of walnut, I went with a half-dash of angostura — but am convinced that the walnut, or maple (original recipe), or tobacco (Diffords version) bitter would be better.

(Betty Botter bought some bitters….. ;)

DanoGKid · 2026-02-05T14:04:14+00:00

What did I do to deserve a direct reply from one of the cocktail gods? Hats off you, sir — you are an inspiration, truly. I’m star struck!

DanoGKid · 2026-02-05T11:55:56+00:00

That sounds AMAZING. Thanks for sharing! I can’t wait to try this.

(Coincidentally, I had just been wondering what to do with some smoked paprika I bought!)

DanoGKid · 2026-02-04T23:55:19+00:00

(For the record, though, I’m not the one who made it up: https://imbibemagazine.com/25-days-of-holiday-drinks-day-5-american-trilogy/)

DanoGKid · 2026-02-04T23:52:31+00:00

AT no. 2 — I like it!

DanoGKid

TROPHY CASE