Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread

It's the weekend, and time for a new bread for the week. I decided to make a Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread this time in my new-to-me 9' x 5" bread pan.

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces fed sourdough starter
• 9 ounces lukewarm water
• 1 to 1.5 teaspoon instant yeast (I used 1.5 teaspoons yeast - and my bread rose fast!)
• 2 tablespoons vital wheat gluten
• 12 ounces white whole wheat flour 
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon milk (optional)
• 1 teaspoon honey (optional)
• 1 teaspoon butter, melted (optional)

Instructions:

1. For my starter, yesterday I fed my sourdough starter, and let it rest overnight in the refrigerator. This morning I mixed in 4 ounces of water plus four ounces of all purpose flour, and let it eat for about 4 hours. It was ready to go!
2. In a stand mixer, stir together starter, water, and vital wheat gluten.
   (Let this a few minutes while measuring out the rest of the ingredients.)
3. Add in oil, flour, and salt, then mix by had for a minute or so until all the flour is moistened.
   (It will be a shaggy looking dough.)
4. Let the dough rest, covered, for 20 to 25 minutes, then knead until it is smooth and slightly sticky.
   (I added 2 tablespoons extra flour, the dough seemed very slack.)
5. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover it, and let it rise until almost doubled, about 60 to 90 minutes.
   (With a very active starter and 1.5 teaspoons of yeast, this may only be 60 minutes!)
6. Gently fold the dough over a few times on a lightly floured work surface.
7. Shape it into an 8” log, and place it in a lightly greased 9” x 5" loaf pan.




8. Mix 1 teaspoon of milk and 1 teaspoon honey together. Brush over the top of the bread. (Optional - Sprinkle with some seeds or instant oatmeal.)




9. Cover the loaf with cooking spray misted plastic wrap, and let it rise until it's crowned 1" over the rim of the pan, about 60 to 90 minutes.
   (With a very active starter and 1.5 teaspoons of yeast, this may only be 45 minutes!)
10. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
11. Bake the bread for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the loaf is golden brown and a digital thermometer inserted into the center registers 205°F to 210°F.
    (Optional - Five minutes before bread is finished, brush the top with the remaining milk and honey mix.)
12. Remove the bread from the oven.
    (Brush the top with melted butter to help soften the crust.)
13.  Cool bread out of pan on a wire rack.

Carole's Notes:

We liked this!I did not get any oven spring from the dough - I may have put in too much yeast, and let it rise too long. I will try again with just 1 teaspoon of added yeast.

The recipe is from https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/whole-wheat-sourdough-bread-recipe