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Half fresh-milled sourdough bread strikes the perfect balance between a classic boule’s crusty, chewy texture and a mild, earthy flavor of fresh-milled sourdough. It’s a great option for graining milling beginners, picky eaters, or anyone who wants the best of both worlds.
Table of Contents
Over the past year, I’ve been milling flour at home and adapting many of my sourdough recipes to use 100% whole grains.
I always enjoy baking and eating fresh-milled no-knead sourdough, einkorn bread, and fresh-milled sourdough sandwich bread. But 100% whole-grain bread has a denser texture, and sometimes, I still crave that crusty boule with a fluffy, chewy interior.
Really, I’m not an all-or-nothing kind of baker, and I don’t think you have to be either. Some seasons call for hearty whole grains, and others call for a lighter loaf. That’s where this half fresh-milled sourdough comes in.
It’s a spin on my no-knead sourdough, made with 50% fresh-milled hard wheat and 50% all-purpose flour.
You can swap out all-purpose for fresh-milled in just about any recipe. But this one takes out the guesswork and delivers that perfect balance of crust, chew, and a hint of whole-grain flavor.
Many of you have mentioned that your families are still adjusting to the flavor of whole grains. This loaf is a great way to ease into it.
Plus, it is easy to make. While making 100% fresh-milled bread has a bit of a learning curve, I’ve found that the 50-50 mix doesn’t change the process or dough consistency at all.
Happy baking, friends!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Beginner-Friendly: If you’re new to baking with fresh-milled flour, this recipe is a great way to ease into the process.
Best of Both Worlds: With half fresh-milled sourdough, you get a hint of whole-grain flavor and a boost of nutrition while still enjoying a rustic, crusty boule with a soft crumb.
Family Friendly: This is the perfect recipe for families transitioning into whole grain flavor and texture or for picky eaters. My little one loves it with homemade strawberry jam, and I enjoy it with a little homemade mayo and sliced tomato.
Sourdough: Even with freshly milled flour, you can still enjoy the process and benefits of sourdough. New to sourdough? Download my free sourdough starter eBook to get started (pun intended).
Ingredients
Hard Wheat Berries: Hard wheat berries are necessary because they’re higher in gluten. I used hard red wheat from Azure Standard, but hard white wheat works just as well for a slightly milder flavor.
Flour: I used all-purpose flour in this recipe, but bread flour will also work.
Sourdough Starter: Active or inactive starter will work, but active and bubbly starter will ferment faster and create less sour flavor. If you don’t have a starter yet, check out my sourdough starter tutorial to learn how to make your own.
Get the full list of ingredients and measurements on the printable recipe card below.
Tools You May Need
Grain Mill: For milling flour, I use a Mockmill 200 Professional. Other popular brands include Nutrimill and KoMo.
Kitchen Scale: I recommend using a waterproof digital scale for accuracy. If you don’t have a scale, volume measurements are included in the printable recipe card below.
Dutch Oven: Baking sourdough in a Dutch oven creates a better oven spring. I use a Lodge dual cooker. It works great, and it’s budget-friendly.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Prep the Dough
Step 1: Just before prepping the dough, mill the hard wheat berries on the finest setting.
Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, add the freshly milled flour, all-purpose flour, sourdough starter, water, and salt.
Step 3: Use a Danish dough whisk or your hands to combine the ingredients until there are no dry bits in the bowl. I often wet my hands a few times to help pick up the dry flour on the bottom of the bowl.
Cover with a damp towel and let the dough rest for 30 minutes (this helps the fresh-milled flour absorb the liquid, so don’t skip this step).
Step 4: Using your hand, mix the dough for 5 minutes. If the dough is sticky, wet your hands a few times to help prevent sticking. Cover with a damp towel and set aside for 30 minutes.
Stretch and Folds
Step 5: Stretch and fold the dough 5-8 times (until you notice resistance from the dough). Do this for three cycles in 15-minute intervals. Cover with a damp towel between cycles.
Step 6: Increase the stretch and fold cycles to every 30 minutes. Complete three cycles of stretch and folds. Cover with a damp towel between cycles.
Bulk Ferment & Proof
Step 7: After all stretch and fold cycles are complete, cover with a damp towel and allow to rest on the counter for 5-6 hours or until doubled and bubbles are forming around the top edges of the dough.
I’ve found that any space below 73° F slows down the process. So, find a warm spot or use a proofing box.
Step 8: Once the dough has doubled, turn it out onto a clean counter or work surface.
Step 9: Shape the dough into a ball by turning and spinning it toward yourself. The friction on the dry counter will create tension and aid in shaping. Then, let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
Step 10: Using a bench scraper, place the dough ball into a floured banneton basket or floured tea towel-lined bowl FACE DOWN.
Step 11: Stitch the dough by folding and pinching small sections from opposite sides toward the center, overlapping them to create a zigzag pattern.
Then, fold and pinch the short ends to create tension and seal the seam.
Repeat the stitching a second time. This process helps create a better ovenspring.
Step 12: Cover with plastic (I like to use a plastic shopping bag), and stick in the fridge for 12-15 hours.
The Next Day
Step 13: Preheat the oven to 500° F with a cast iron Dutch oven inside.
Once the oven is preheated and the Dutch oven is scorching hot, turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper.
Step 14: Rub the top of the dough with all-purpose flour and score using a razor blade or bread lame.
Step 15: Use the parchment like a sling to transfer the dough to the hot Dutch oven (the parchment also goes into the Dutch oven).
With the Dutch oven lid on, bake at 500° F for 25 minutes.
Remove the lid, drop the temp to 475° F, and bake for 12 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 190-200° F.
Step 16: Remove from Dutch oven and let cool to room temp on a wire rack before slicing and serving.
Tips for Success
- To keep the dough from sticking to your hands, wet them before mixing or doing stretch and folds. I like to stand near the sink so I can easily rewet my hands.
- Don’t overthink the stretch and folds. For each cycle, complete as many stretch and folds as needed until you feel resistance from the dough. That’s your sign to let it rest before the next round.
- Fresh-milled flour absorbs water slowly, so the 30-minute rest (aka autolyse) is key for an easy-to-handle dough. Don’t skip it!
- Creating tension in the dough helps the bread rise in the oven. When shaping your dough, gently pull it toward you on the counter to build surface tension.
- Your starter doesn’t need to be made with fresh-milled flour, so use whatever sourdough starter you have. Most of the benefits of fresh-milled flour come from the flour in the dough itself.
Storing Sourdough Bread
Bread made with fresh-milled flour has a short shelf life. I usually put mine in a bread bag on the counter for 1-2 days.
If we can’t get through it faster than that, I slice and freeze it. You can freeze sourdough bread for up to 3 months, so it’s a great way to extend the shelf-life.
Baker’s Timeline
Before Bed
10:00 PM: Feed your sourdough starter.
The Next Day
10:00 AM: Mill the wheat berries and make the dough. Let it rest.
10:30 AM: Mix the dough. Let it rest for 30 minutes.
11:00 AM: Begin the stretch and folds.
12:30 PM (or so): Cover the dough and set aside for bulk fermentation. How long this takes depends on the strength of your starter, the temperature, and other factors. At this point, watch the dough, not the clock.
7:00 PM: Shape the dough and let it rest for 20 minutes.
7:20 PM: Put the dough in a banneton basket or towel-lined bowl. Cover and stick it in the fridge.
The Following Morning
9:00 AM: Preheat the oven and Dutch oven.
10:00 AM: Turn out the dough, score, and bake.
10:40 AM: Let the bread cool and enjoy!
Video – Fresh-Milled Sourdough Tips
I’m sharing my best tips for making sourdough recipes with fresh-milled flour, including bread and discard recipes.
Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel. New videos come out weekly!
FAQs
In my experience, it doesn’t taste any more sour than regular sourdough. While whole grains can make sourdough taste more sour, the all-purpose flour helps keep the flavor mild and balanced.
Also, hard white wheat will yield a milder flavor than hard red.
Yes, but you will have to slightly increase the hydration, and you can expect a denser loaf. This half fresh-milled recipe is a great stepping stone if you are working your way toward 100% fresh-milled sourdough.
Yes, you can use store-bought whole wheat flour in place of fresh-milled. Just keep in mind that it may absorb water a little differently and won’t have quite the same flavor or nutritional benefits as freshly milled flour.
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Half Fresh-Milled Sourdough Bread
Equipment
- Grain Mill
Ingredients
- 235 g finely milled hard wheat berries, red or white
- 235 g all-purpose flour
- 100 g sourdough starter, active and bubbly
- 330 g water
- 10 g salt
Instructions
Prep the Dough
- Just before prepping the dough, mill the hard wheat berries on the finest setting.235 g (2 cups) finely milled hard wheat berries
- In a large mixing bowl, add the freshly milled flour, all-purpose flour, sourdough starter, water, and salt.235 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour, 100 g (1/2 cup) sourdough starter, 330 g (1 1/3 cups) water, 10 g (1/2 tbsp) salt
- Use a Danish dough whisk or your hands to combine the ingredients until there are no dry bits in the bowl. I often wet my hands a few times to help pick up the dry flour on the bottom of the bowl. Cover with a damp towel and let the dough rest for 30 minutes (this helps the fresh-milled flour absorb the liquid, so don't skip this step).
- Using your hands, mix the dough for 5 minutes. If the dough is sticky, wet your hands a few times to help prevent sticking. Cover with a damp towel and set aside for 30 minutes.
Stretch and Folds
- Stretch and fold the dough 5-8 times (until you notice resistance from the dough). Do this for three cycles in 15-minute intervals. Cover with a damp towel between cycles.
- Increase the stretch and fold cycles to every 30 minutes. Complete three cycles of stretch and folds. Cover with a damp towel between cycles.
Bulk Ferment and Proof
- After all stretch and fold cycles are complete, cover with a damp towel and allow to rest on the counter for 5-6 hours or until doubled and bubbles are forming around the top edges of the dough. I’ve found that any space below 73° F slows down the process. So, find a warm spot or use a proofing box.
- Once the dough has doubled, turn it out onto a clean counter or work surface.
- Shape the dough into a ball by turning and spinning it toward yourself. The friction on the dry counter will create tension and aid in shaping. Then, let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
- Using a bench scraper, place the dough ball into a floured banneton basket or floured tea towel-lined bowl FACE DOWN.
- Stitch the dough by folding and pinching small sections from opposite sides toward the center, overlapping them to create a zigzag pattern. Then, fold and pinch the short ends to create tension and seal the seam. Repeat the stitching a second time. This process helps create a better ovenspring.
- Cover with plastic (I like to use a plastic shopping bag), and stick in the fridge for 12-15 hours.
The Next Day
- Preheat the oven to 500° F with a cast iron Dutch oven inside.
- Once the oven is preheated and the Dutch oven is scorching hot, turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper.
- Rub the top of the dough with all-purpose flour and score using a razor blade or lame.
- Use the parchment like a sling to transfer the dough to the hot Dutch oven (the parchment also goes into the Dutch oven).
- With the Dutch oven lid on, bake at 500° F for 25 minutes.
- Remove the lid, drop the temp to 475° F, and bake for 12 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 190-200° F.
- Remove from Dutch oven and let cool to room temp on a wire rack before slicing and serving.
Notes
- For the best results, use a kitchen scale to weigh the ingredients.
- Fresh-milled flour absorbs water slowly, so the 30-minute rest (aka autolyse) is key for an easy-to-handle dough. Don’t skip it!
- Your starter doesn’t need to be made with fresh-milled flour, so use whatever sourdough starter you have. Most of the benefits of fresh-milled flour come from the flour in the dough itself.
- Don’t overthink the stretch and folds. For each cycle, complete as many stretch and folds as needed until you feel resistance from the dough. That’s your sign to let it rest before the next round.
- To keep the dough from sticking to your hands, wet them before mixing or doing stretch and folds. I like to stand near the sink so I can easily rewet my hands.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is auto-calculated and may not reflect your final product. Please verify independently if needed.
I don’t take an all-or-nothing approaching to fresh milled flour. And this recipe is the perfect balance for that. I make this when I want classic chewy sourdough but also little nutrition from fresh flour.