Sprouted Grain Sourdough Bread

Step 1

Make the levain: In a medium bowl, mix together starter, water, and flour.

Step 2

Cover bowl with a plate and leave it on the counter to ferment overnight, approximately 8-12 hours.

Step 3

Once your levain is bubbly and active, remove 105 g. Transfer to a large bowl and mix with water until well-distributed. Add the white and whole wheat flours and, using a dough wisk and/or your hands, mix to form a shaggy dough.

Step 4

Cover with a tea towel and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Step 5

Next, add salt and sprouted wheat berries. Using your hands to squish everything together, mix to combine.

Step 6

Do the first fold: To do this, get your hands damp and reach under the dough on the opposite side of the bowl from you. Pull the dough up and over towards you.

Step 7

Repeat this so the side closest to you now folds to the side farthest from you. Lastly, repeat this so that the side on your left folds towards your right and your right folds towards your left. Think of it as wrapping a package.  Then, scoop your hands under the ball of dough and flip it over completely. This completes one “fold”.

Step 8

Complete 6 more folds: Do one fold every 30 minutes for 3 hours total.

Step 9

Shaping the dough: Tip the dough out of the bowl onto a lightly floured surface and rest 20 minutes. Don't skip this rest step! Meanwhile, prepare your banneton by dusting it with flour. Alternatively, layer a clean tea towel in a medium mixing bowl and dust liberally with flour (50-50 wheat and rice flour is a great dusting combo).

Step 10

To shape, flour a clean surface with just a touch of flour. Too much flour will prevent the dough from sticking to the surface and getting taut. Now, gently fold the bread up like a burrito (see this video), then flip it over so that it’s seam side down, and use your hands to cup and roll the dough. You want to make as much surface tension as possible without tearing the outside of the loaf.

Step 11

Once shaped, turn the loaf into the banneton (top-down). Gently flour the top of the loaf (which is actually the bottom) before covering with a towel.

Step 12

Transfer the shaped loaf into the fridge to rest overnight.

Step 13

Place a dutch oven in the oven and preheat to 260°C (500°F) or as hot as your oven can go, but no higher than 500°F. After the oven has come to temperature, let the dutch oven continue to preheat for another 30 minutes.

Step 14

Once preheated, take bread out of the fridge. Gently invert the dough onto a piece of parchment paper (seam side down) that is large enough to lift your bread into and out of the dutch oven.

Step 15

Score the bread with a sharp knife or bread lame.

Step 16

Using oven mitts, carefully remove the hot dutch oven placing it on the stovetop. Remove the lid, then quickly and carefully lift the dough into the pot using the edges of the parchment paper as handles. Using oven mitts, carefully place the lid back on the dutch oven and put the vessel back into the oven.

Step 17

Reduce oven temperature to 230°C (450°F) and bake for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the lid (be careful of steam) and bake for another 20-25 minutes with the lid off, or until the bread is golden to dark brown (depending on preference) and crusty.

Step 18

Using the parchment paper as handles, transfer the bread from the dutch oven to a wire rack. Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into it, at least 4 hours.