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This fresh-milled sourdough sandwich bread is made in one day and uses hard red or white wheat and a touch of kamut for a soft, mild-flavored loaf. It’s perfect for slices, spreads, and, of course, sandwiches!
Table of Contents
Since I started publishing fresh-milled flour tutorials on YouTube, sourdough sandwich bread made with fresh flour has been one of the most requested recipes.
After much testing, I’ve finally nailed down the version and method I come back to again and again. It’s 100% whole grain, soft enough for sandwiches, and packed with flavor.
These days, most of our bread is made with freshly milled flour, but I don’t take an all-or-nothing approach.
Sometimes, I still make classic sourdough sandwich bread and maple oatmeal bread.
This fresh-milled sandwich bread is our everyday go-to because it’s delicious and is an easy route to simple living without needing a farmhouse or homestead.
When you mill flour at home, you only need a bucket or two of grains and a little counter space. It’s a practical path toward self-sufficiency that anyone can attain, no matter where you live.
If you want a lighter flavor and color, go with hard white wheat. This time, I used red because that’s what I had on hand.
But really, you can’t go wrong. This bread is perfect for toast slathered with old-fashioned strawberry jam. And I love it for turkey or hot honey meatloaf sandwiches.
If you are experimenting with different types of fresh-milled bread, this is a great beginner’s recipe. You may also enjoy fresh-milled einkorn sourdough or a same-day fresh-milled boule.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
100% Whole Grain: Made entirely with fresh-milled flour, this sourdough sandwich bread is nutritious and has a rich, hearty flavor.
Soft Crumb: This bread has a tender crumb perfect for sandwiches and toast.
Simple Ingredients: You only need a few basic pantry staples. Many recipes call for vital wheat gluten and sunflower lecithin, but I prefer to use as few ingredients as possible.
Sourdough: Made with sourdough starter instead of commercial yeast, you can enjoy all of the benefits of fermented whole grains.
Beginner-Friendly: The recipe uses simple steps and a stand mixer, so you don’t have to learn stretch and folds or scoring techniques.
Meal Prep: You can freeze sourdough bread for months. So, make a few batches and stash them for later use. This is a great sourdough time-saver for busy moms!
Ingredients
Hard Wheat: Use hard white or red wheat. For these images, I used red because that’s what I had on hand, but white wheat has a more mild flavor. I usually get my grains from Azure Standard.
Kamut: Kamut (aka Khorasan) has a milder flavor than other hard wheat but is lower in gluten, so it needs to be paired with more hard red or white wheat for proper gluten development.
Sourdough Starter: Use any active and bubbly starter you have. I usually feed mine all-purpose, even when I make whole-grain bread. New to sourdough? Download my free sourdough starter ebook!
Egg: The egg adds extra hydration to fresh-milled flour and creates a softer crumb. You can also use reconstituted freeze-dried eggs.
Honey: You can also use maple syrup or sugar. If you opt for sugar, you may need a little extra liquid so the fresh-milled flour has enough hydration.
Get the full list of ingredients and measurements on the printable recipe card below.
Tools You’ll Need
Grain Mill: You will need a grain mill to grind the wheat berries. I use a Mockmill 200 Professional. Other popular brands include Nutrimill and KoMo.
Stand Mixer: I love my KitchenAid bowl-lift stand mixer. You can knead by hand, but it will take a while (and some muscle) to get the dough to the right consistency.
Loaf Pan: I prefer using a stone loaf pan. But any regular loaf pan will work.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Just before prepping the dough, mill the hard wheat and kamut on the finest setting.
Step 2: In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the freshly milled flour, water, honey, salt, sourdough starter, egg, and butter.
Step 3: Using a paddle attachment, mix the ingredients on low. Mix until just combined. Cover with a towel and allow the dough to rest (aka autolyze) for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Step 4: Switch to a dough hook and knead the dough.
With fresh-milled flour, I start on low to help it combine and form a ball, stopping once or twice to shape it by hand. Then, I incrementally increase the speed.
I’ve found slower speeds work best, so I usually keep my KitchenAid on setting 3 at max.
Step 5: Knead until the dough is smooth and passes the windowpane test. For me, this usually takes 12-15 minutes.
Step 6: Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and set it aside to bulk ferment until it has risen 30%-50% and is domed on top.
How long this takes depends on the strength of your starter, the temperature, and other factors.
Remember to watch the dough, not the clock.
Step 7: Butter or grease a loaf pan. Then, turn the dough out onto a clean work surface.
Step 8: Gently stretch the dough into a 6″ x 10″ rectangle. Fold the long edges toward each other, meeting in the center, and pinch the seams together.
Step 9: Then, fold the short edges 1″ toward the center and pinch the seams together.
Step 10: Use a bench scraper to turn the bread over so it is seam-side down, and tuck the ends in to create a little tension on the dough’s surface.
Step 11: Lift the dough with a bench scraper and transfer it to the prepared loaf pan.
Cover and allow it to proof until it has risen, looks puffy, and is domed above the top edge of the pan.
I usually use a plastic shopping bag to cover the dough.
Step 12: Cover and allow it to proof until it has risen, looks puffy, and is domed above the top edge of the pan.
I usually use a plastic shopping bag to cover the dough.
Step 13: Preheat the oven to 375° F. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of 200° F.
Step 14: Let the bread cool in the pan for a few minutes.
Then, transfer it to a wire cooling rack and allow it to cool to room temperature before slicing and serving.
Tips for Success
- The time for the bulk fermentation can vary greatly depending on the strength of your starter, the type of flour, and other factors. Watch the quality of the dough, not the clock.
- I recommend weighing the ingredients in grams for the most accurate, consistent, and repeatable results.
- If you want to speed up the fermentation and proofing time, use a proofing box.
- Fresh-milled flour absorbs water slowly, so it is critical to let it rest (aka autolyze). I often skip this step for regular flour, but I never skip it for fresh-milled.
- In my experience, fresh-milled bread doesn’t have as much oven spring as bread made with white flour. For me, the shape it goes into the oven is the shape it comes out. So, if you want a high rise, proof it until the dough is nicely domed.
- Fresh-milled wheat has more natural oils, so the dough hook can slip over it instead of mixing well. Start with the paddle attachment to combine the ingredients, then switch to the dough hook for kneading.
- If your dough hook can’t catch the dough, stop the mixer and shape the dough into a ball by hand. I usually do this a couple of times until the hook starts kneading properly.
Sample Baker’s Schedule
The Night Before Baking
9:00 PM: Feed sourdough starter.
The Next Day
7:00 AM: Mill flour and mix the dough using the paddle attachment. Set aside to autolyze.
7:30 AM: Switch to the dough hook and knead the dough. Cover and bulk ferment.
12:30 PM: Shape the dough and place it in a loaf pan to proof.
5:00 PM: Bake the bread.
6:00 PM: Cool the bread, slice, and enjoy!
Storing
Room Temperature: Store leftover or extra fresh-milled sourdough sandwich bread at room temperature in a plastic-lined bread bag. I often store mine in a ziplock bag.
Fridge: I generally don’t recommend refrigerating fresh-milled bread because it dries out quickly. Instead, I prefer freezing it and thawing it as needed.
Freezing: Once the bread cools, I slice it and freeze it in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Fresh-milled flour molds surprisingly quickly, so I always freeze mine to extend its shelf life.
Recipe FAQs
Because fresh-milled flour contains the bran and germ, it creates a denser crumb. This is totally normal.
If you’re new to fresh-milled flour or prefer a milder flavor, try mixing in some all-purpose flour. Just keep in mind you may need to reduce the liquid slightly since this recipe uses extra hydration for the thirstier whole grains.
If your bread is gummy, that is a sign that it did not bulk ferment long enough.
Fresh-milled flour includes the bran and germ, which can weaken gluten and limit rise. Bread flour is more refined and builds a stronger structure.
Video – Fresh-Milled Flour Q&A
I’m answering your most frequently asked questions in this video, from sourdough to conversions to must-have grains.
Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel. New videos come out each week!
Let’s Connect!
If you tried fresh-milled sourdough sandwich bread and loved it, leave a comment or review below.
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Fresh-Milled Sourdough Sandwich Bread
Equipment
- Grain Mill
- Paddle attachment
- Dough hook
Ingredients
- 390 g hard wheat berries, white or red
- 170 9 kamut wheat berries
- 258 g water
- 42 g honey
- 9 g salt
- 114 g sourdough starter, active and bubbly
- 1 egg
- 57 g butter, softened and cubed
Instructions
- Just before prepping the dough, mill the hard wheat and kamut on the finest setting.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the freshly milled flour, water, honey, salt, sourdough starter, egg, and butter.
- Using a paddle attachment, mix the ingredients together on low. Mix until just combined. Cover with a towel and allow the dough to rest (aka autolyze) for 30 minutes to 1 hour
- Switch to a dough hook and knead the dough. With fresh-milled flour, I start on low to help it combine and form a ball, stopping once or twice to shape it by hand. Then, I incrementally increase the speed. I’ve found slower speeds work best, so I usually keep my KitchenAid on setting 3 at max.
- Knead until the dough is smooth and passes the windowpane test. For me, this usually takes 12-15 minutes.
- Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and set it aside to bulk ferment until it has risen 30%-50% and is domed on top. How long this takes depends on the strength of your starter, the temperature, and other factors. Remember to watch the dough, not the clock.
- Butter or grease a loaf pan. Then, turn the dough out onto a clean work surface.
- Gently stretch the dough into a 6" x 10" rectangle. Fold the long edges toward each other, meeting in the center, and pinch the seams together.
- Then, fold the short edges 1" toward the center and pinch the seams together.
- Turn the bread over so it is seam-side down, and tuck the ends in to create a little tension on the dough's surface.
- Place it in the prepared loaf pan. Cover and allow it to proof until it has risen, looks puffy, and is domed above the top edge of the pan.
- Preheat the oven to 375° F. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of 200° F.
- Let the bread cool in the pan for a few minutes. Then, transfer it to a wire cooling rack and allow it to cool to room temperature before slicing and serving.
Notes
- I used white or red wheat, depending on what I’m in the mood for. For the pictures in this post, I used hard red wheat.
- I recommend weighing the ingredients in grams for the most accurate, consistent, and repeatable results.
- If you want to speed up the fermentation and proofing time, use a proofing box.
- In my experience, fresh-milled bread doesn’t have as much oven spring as bread made with white flour. For me, the shape it goes into the oven is the shape it comes out. So, if you want a high rise, proof it until the dough is nicely domed.
- Fresh-milled wheat has more natural oils, so the dough hook can slip over it instead of mixing well. Start with the paddle attachment to combine the ingredients, then switch to the dough hook for kneading.
- If your dough hook can’t catch the dough, stop the mixer and shape the dough into a ball by hand. I usually do this a couple of times until the hook starts kneading properly.