Sourdough Brown Bread Recipe

Why I Love This Recipe

This isn’t your soggy supermarket brown loaf. This is rustic, hearty, tangy, and unapologetically whole-grain. With a solid base of bread flour and a punch of whole wheat and rye, it’s chewy and flavourful but with a crumb that isn’t brick-hard. You get that gutty chew, mild malt sweetness, and sourdough depth—all without barrelling over your toppings. It’s the kind of bread that stands proud next to soup, sandwiches, breakfast—even just a swipe of butter makes it sing.

Tips

• Active starter is non-negotiable. Feed it 4–6 hours before mixing so it’s bubbly and full of lift.
• Autolyse sets crumb tone. Mix flour and water and rest 30 minutes—less kneading, better structure.
• Stretch-and-fold beats kneading. You’ll get chew without beating your dough to submission.
• Cold fermentation is flavor gold. Let it sit in the fridge overnight for nuanced tang and deeper crumb.
• Bake with steam. Use a Dutch oven or tray of water in the oven—crisp crust is everything.
• Let it cool fully. Slice too early and your crumb collapses. Let. It. Rest.

Recipe Card

• Recipe name: Sourdough Brown Bread
• Summary: Tangy, wholesome sourdough loaf blending bread flour, whole wheat, and rye—hearty crumb and crisp crust.
• Prep time: 45 minutes
• Cook time: 40–45 minutes
• Additional time: ~1 hour bulk ferment + 12–18 hours cold proof + 1 hour cooling
• Total time: ~14–18 hours
• Servings: 12 slices
• Diet: Vegetarian
• Method: Autolyse → Stretch-and-fold → Cold ferment → Bake

Ingredients

• 300g bread flour
• 150g whole wheat flour
• 50g rye flour
• 375g water (around 75°F)
• 100g active sourdough starter (100% hydration)
• 10g sea salt

How To Make Sourdough Brown Bread

1. Feed your starter earlier in the day.
   Make sure it’s doubled and bubbly by mix time—no air? No rise.
2. Autolyse: Mix flours with all the water in a big bowl. Stir until there’s no dry flour left. Cover and rest 30 minutes. This jumpstarts gluten without kneading.
3. Add starter & salt: Sprinkle salt around the bowl edge, then add starter. Pinch and fold until mostly integrated.
4. Stretch-and-fold: Every 30 minutes, grab one edge of dough, stretch it up, fold it over, rotate bowl, and repeat on four sides. Do 4 rounds over 2 hours. Dough should feel smoother, stronger, and less sticky.
5. Bulk ferment: Cover and leave at room temp for ~1 hour more. Dough should puff up but not double.
6. Shape + cold proof: Turn out on floured bench, shape tightly into boule/oval, place seam-side up in a floured proofing basket or towel-lined bowl. Cover and refrigerate 12–18 hours.

Baking Schedule

• Preheat: 45 minutes before bake, preheat oven to 450°F with a Dutch oven or baking stone + steam tray.
• Bake:

Remove cold dough, invert onto parchment. Score with lame or knife.

Transfer into hot Dutch oven or onto stone. Cover or introduce steam. Bake 20 minutes covered.

Remove lid or steam tray, reduce to 425°F, bake another 20–25 minutes until crust is deep amber and crispy.

• Cool: Remove loaf and let cool on rack for at least 1 hour before slicing. This sets crumb and keeps it from clobbering your texture.

FAQ

• My crumb is tight and dense. Likely under-fermented or under-folded. Extend bulk ferment or add another stretch-and-fold cycle.
• Too sour? Shorten cold proof to 8–12 hours instead of overnight.
• Crust too thick? Reduce steam time or bake a bit cooler.
• Can I use all whole wheat? You can, but expect gummy crumb. Stick to 60% whole grains max unless you want a flagstone loaf.

Notes

• Measuring by weight = accuracy. Eye-ball measurements = inconsistent results.
• Use filtered water if your tap is heavily chlorinated—chlorine kills wild yeast.
• You can bake on a baking stone with steam tray if you don’t have a Dutch oven.
• If you want topping flair, sprinkle oats or seeds right before baking.

Final Slice

This Sourdough Brown Bread is textured, tangy, and straight-up real. It checks all boxes: crisp crust, open crumb, wild yeast flavor, and sturdy enough to hold sandwich loads or dip into soup like a champion. You’ve built flavor with fermentation, structure with stretch-and-fold, and beauty with every scorch-marked crack.

You didn’t buy this loaf—you earned it. Own it. Slice it thick.

Ready for more kitchen swagger and recipes that build your bread cred? Email me at [email protected]. Tell me what your readers are hungry for next, and I’ll fire back the next loaf or skillet install with zero fluff.