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Here’s a great fluffy all whole wheat sourdough bread recipe that’s also vegan, high in protein, and sugar-free. The recipe is yeast-free and is suitable for beginners as well.

This bread makes a great sandwich, toast, French toast, soup, as a side for your omelette and so on.

Why should I choose whole wheat sourdough bread over white bread?

Whole wheat sourdough bread is better than sourdough bread made from white flour for several reasons. Here are some of them:

Whole wheat flour contains more fibre and nutrients than white flour because it is made from whole grain, including the bran and germ. The bran and germ contain fibre, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that are not present in white flour.
Using whole wheat flour in sourdough bread will give you a much more complex flavour profile due to the range of minerals found in the bran. It will also give you a more dense and heavy texture of bread.
Whole wheat sourdough bread has a lower glycemic index than white sourdough bread. This means that it causes a slower rise in blood sugar levels after eating.
It is also more filling than white sourdough bread because it contains more fibre.

Why should you make this recipe?

It’s 100% whole wheat
It’s higher in protein
no sugar needed
vegan
beginner-friendly
fluffy and soft, and crispy on the outside
nutritious and mouth-watering

Ingredients and substitutions for all whole wheat sourdough bread

Whole Wheat sourdough starter

It’s not a sourdough recipe if it doesn’t have a sourdough starter! To keep this recipe 100% whole wheat, my starter is made entirely from whole wheat flour and water.

Make sure to check if the starter is ready. To do that, you can do the float test, which is by taking a small spoonful of the starter and dropping it into a glass of water. If it floats, it indicates that the starter is active and ready to use.

If you don’t have a 100% whole wheat sourdough starter ready, a starter made from half whole wheat flour or white flour works too.

If you have any sourdough starter left and want to use it up easily and quickly, check out this 2-ingredient sourdough wraps recipe that only takes 5 minutes to make from start to finish. You don’t even have to knead it!

Whole wheat all-purpose flour

As I said before, not only does whole wheat flour have more nutrients than white flour, I just love the nutty flavour it brings to the food it creates.

I’ve used it for many recipes such as these high-protein whole-wheat crackers. Both whole wheat flour and whole wheat all-purpose flour are basically the same.

Distilled water or filtered tap water

I find that these waters make the bread rise better. Water affects the outcome of bread more than you think. FYI, distilled water can also be found in bottled water.

Vinegar

Now, let me tell you, I’m not a fan of vinegar at all, but this makes the bread rise more, along with the salt. Any neutral-tasting vinegar works, including white vinegar and apple cider vinegar.

Salt

Again, to help the bread rise and gives it more flavour. You don’t need a lot of it, a little goes a long way, but please don’t omit it.

Any fine salt works for this recipe.

Vital Wheat Gluten

The “secret” ingredient for a high-rising whole wheat sourdough bread and the amount of protein packed into a slice of this bread!

Here is a more in-depth article of what it is. But to sum up, vital wheat gluten is a protein found in wheat. Besides adding it to breads It can be used to make vegan meats, like this homemade chicken seitan recipe.

Tips to make the perfect whole wheat sourdough bread

Use a bowl with a lid if you have it, but if you don’t make sure you cover up the bowl completely when rising
when baking, the oven should be very hot. It’s best to use a Dutch oven, but a regular oven is fine as well
Knead for at least 10 minutes! The kneading process stretches the gluten, and there is a lot of it in this recipe
The waiting time and the amount of flour you will end up adding will vary slightly every time depending on the temperature and humidity that day.

The Equipment I used

How to store whole wheat sourdough bread

Once you have cut the bread into slices, store the bread in an airtight zip log bag or container for up to 3 days. Then store the bread in the fridge for up to another week.

Or, you can freeze the bread by putting the slices of bread in a large freezer-friendly bag and placing it in the freezer for up to 2 months. It’s a great way to use it as toast – just pop them in the toaster for more time, or some toasters have a frozen mode as well.

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