Seeded Whole Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread

Seeded whole wheat sourdough sandwich bread is a delicious and nutritious option for those looking to incorporate more whole grains into their diet.

And while whole wheat breads have a reputation for being dense, this whole wheat sourdough bread recipe is miraculously soft! I detail how I make this loaf so soft with a few recipe test explanations below.

Made with a combination of whole wheat flour, sourdough starter, an assortment of seeds, maple syrup, and olive oil, this bread boasts a hearty and nutty flavor that pairs perfectly with your favorite sandwich fillings.

Not only is it tasty, but its high fiber content also makes it a great choice for promoting digestive health. Of course, my classic white Sourdough Sandwich Bread has a place in my heart, but this loaf certainly rivals it for making the best PB&Js!

👉 If you’re looking for other whole wheat recipes, try my Spelt Sourdough Bread, Spelt Sourdough Focaccia, Beginner’s Einkorn Sourdough Bread, or Buckwheat Sourdough with Pumpkin Seeds.

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How to Make Whole Wheat Bread Less Dense

Whole wheat and rye breads have a proclivity for being dense. And while I love the wheaty flavor and hefty chew that whole grains and whole wheat brings to bread, sometimes I wish the bread was softer.

Thus, I knew when recipe testing this loaf that I would need to make quite a few adjustments to find the right balance of nutrition, flavor, softness, and lightness.

Recipe Test 1

I used 100% whole wheat flour in the first recipe test. It certainly hit the nutrition mark- full of seeds, which I soaked for hours to make them more palatable. But unfortunately, it was plagued with the classic denseness of whole wheat bread that comes off a little grainy to me. It was tasty, but just not what I was looking for in this recipe.

Recipe Test 2

The second test was closer. First, I used white whole wheat flour, which is still 100% whole wheat, but made from a different variety of wheat. Most whole wheats are made from hard red wheats, but the white whole wheat is slightly milder, paler, and made from a different strain. I found this whole wheat flour worked best in my Calabrian Chili and Honey Sourdough Bread, which also has inclusions so I wanted to try it here.

In addition, I used about 20% bread flour in the recipe test to bring some chewiness to the loaf and give it more height. I also increased the hydration to over 85% to compensate for the higher amount of water whole wheat can absorb and add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to soften the crust, crumb, and texture.

Recipe Test 3+

I finally hit the mark for softness when I used the yudane method with 20% of the flour. This Japanese method of gelatinizing the flour starches with boiling water is a tried and true method I use in multiple recipes, like my brioche, dinner rolls, babka, and cinnamon rolls, for an ultra-soft pull-apart texture. Furthermore, the yudane method allows the loaf to have a higher hydration, leading to a softer and more tender loaf.

Lastly, baking the loaf at a hot initial temperature (425ºF or 218ºC) increases the oven spring of the bread, leading to a less dense loaf. I bake the bread this hot for 10 minutes and then lower to 375ºF (191ºC) for the remaining time. I employ this method with different temperatures to increase oven spring in most of my sourdough bread recipes, like My Everyday Sourdough Bread Recipe and my brioche loaf.

Results

Combining the seed soaker with an overall high hydration for the loaf, white whole wheat flour mixed with a smaller percentage of bread flour, the yudane method, a bit of olive oil, and an initial hot temperature makes this deliciously hearty, yet soft, whole wheat sandwich bread. It’s miraculous to me and well worth the hard-earned recipe-testing efforts!

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Baker’s Percentage Table

I include a baker’s percentage chart to quickly scale a recipe up or down.

With baker’s percentages, the total weight of all flour in the recipe is 100%. The other ingredients are noted in relation to the total weight of flour. This is why the percentages below will add up to over 100%.

If you want to learn more, the King Arthur website has a more detailed reference page on why and how baker’s percentages are calculated.

Dough Ingredients	Weight	Percentage
White Whole Wheat Flour	400 grams	80%
Bread Flour	100 grams	20%
Sourdough Starter*	30 grams	6%
Seeds (14g each of flax, poppy, sesame, and chia seeds)	56 grams	11.2%
Water	425 grams	85%
Kosher Salt	9 grams	1.8%
Maple Syrup	45 grams	9%
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil	66 grams	6.2%

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🛠 Tools Needed:

Click the links below for my tool recommendations.

• Baking Scale
• 9x4x4″ Small Pullman Pan
  • This USA 9x4x4″ pullman pan is my favorite bread loaf pan. It’s non-stick, made of aluminized steel, and bakes with straight sides. It’s my favorite pan for this loaf, but you’re welcome to use a standard 9×5” bread loaf pan as well. Just note that the bread will be a little stouter with shorter sides.
• Stand Mixer (recommended)
  • A stand mixer fitted with the bread hook attachment makes mixing this high-hydration whole wheat dough much more effortless. Mixing the dough by hand will be very sticky and somewhat frustrating. Mix upfront as much as possible and add extra folds in during bulk fermentation if you decide to mix by hand.
• Brød and Taylor Folding Bread Proofer (optional but helpful)
  • My home tends to stay cool, so I proof all of my breads in this convenient proofing box that can also act as a slow cooker.

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🛒 Ingredients Needed:

The ingredients to make the best whole wheat sourdough sandwich bread are really simple and versatile.

This is a vegan sourdough sandwich bread recipe, and I opt to use maple syrup as the sweetener for more depth. However, you can easily substitute it with honey if you’d prefer to make a honey whole wheat loaf.

Click on the links below for my ingredient recommendations.

• White Whole Wheat Flour
  • White whole wheat flour is still 100% whole wheat flour. It’s made from a different variety of wheat than typical whole wheat flour, which leads to softer whole wheat bread.
  • If you don’t have white whole wheat flour, use an equal amount of whole wheat flour instead. The loaf may be a little denser, but it will still turn out well.
• Bread Flour
  • This loaf is 20% bread flour because it has a high protein content that helps the dough rise tall and gives it a soft and chewier texture.
  • If you don’t have bread flour, use high-quality all-purpose flour.
• Sourdough Starter
  • Use active sourdough starter in this recipe. Sourdough discard will not have the leavening power needed.
  • You don’t need a whole wheat sourdough starter for this recipe. Instead, I make a separate levain with whole wheat flour for the loaf.
  • No sourdough starter? learn how to make one in a week with my day-by-day guide.
• Sea Salt
• Warm Water
  • Using warm water will speed fermentation along. Don’t use hot water or the heat can kill the sourdough yeasts. Aim for the water to be less than 100ºF (38ºC).
• Seeds
  • In this versatile recipe, you can use an equal amount of any seeds you’d like to mix and match. For the seed soaker, I use smaller seeds so they don’t interfere with the interior light texture of the crumb, including flax, chia, poppy, and sesame seeds.
  • I top the loaf with larger sunflower and pumpkin seeds for a bit of crunch. 
  • Although not a seed, rolled oats would be a good addition on top too! Experiment with amaranth, millet, or nigella seeds in the soaker.
• Maple Syrup
  • Maple syrup adds depth and a bit of sweetness to the loaf to balance out all of the hearty seeds and whole wheat flour. I prefer dark, robust maple syrup in baking for the most flavor.
  • Alternatively, you can use an equal amount of honey in the recipe. This will make a honey whole wheat sourdough bread, which will also taste great!
  • FYI, please only use real maple syrup and not maple-flavored syrup. They’re completely different products.
• Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
  • There’s not that much olive oil in this recipe, unlike sourdough focaccia, but the added fat contributes a bit more flavor and softness to the dough. A good quality common brand that’s relatively affordable is California Olive Ranch.
  • You could also use room-temperature butter instead.

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🧑‍🍳 How to Make Seeded Whole Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread

Follow this visual and detailed recipe guide as you bake this seeded whole wheat sourdough sandwich bread recipe.

1. Make the Levain, Yudane, and Seed Soaker

Mix 30g of sourdough starter, 30g of white whole wheat flour, and 30g of water in an empty jar.

If you’d prefer to skip making a levain, use about 90g of active sourdough starter instead. Ideally, it’s made with some whole wheat, but it’s okay if not.

Cover and set it in a warm location (75-80ºF) for about five hours until it is doubled and bubbly.

At the same time, make the yudane and seed soaker.

For the yudane, which will make the bread incredibly soft, stir together 100 grams of white whole wheat flour and 100 grams of boiling water in a small bowl until all of the flour is hydrated. The yudane will be stiff. Set aside to cool.

To make the seed soaker, combine 14 grams of poppy, chia, flax, and sesame seeds in a small bowl. Pour in about 87 grams of boiling water and stir. Set aside to cool and for the seeds to soak.

The seed soaker makes the seeds more digestible by softening the outer shells of the seeds.

2. Mix the Dough

Once the levain is doubled in size and active, add the following ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer* fitted with the dough hook attachment:

• 270g of white whole wheat flour
• 100g of bread flour
• 9g of sea salt
• All of the levain (or 90g of active sourdough starter)
• All of the yudane
• All of the seed soaker
• 45g of maple syrup
• 208g of warm water

Begin mixing the dough on low speed until all of the flour hydrates. You may need to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a flexible spatula to ensure that all of the flour incorporates into the wet dough.

As you mix, you’ll notice that the dough is very sticky and batter-like. This is because of the extremely high hydration from the water, maple syrup, and waters from the yudane and seed soaker. This is normal!

Mix the dough for about five minutes until it’s more cohesive.

Next, slowly pour in 31g of olive oil as the dough mixes. The olive oil is added last because fat inhibits gluten development. Since this dough is so sticky, the initial five minutes of mixing kickstarts dough strength. If you add the olive oil at the beginning all at once, it will take longer to mix overall. This process is similar to slowing mixing butter into brioche dough.

Once all of the olive oil is added, mix on medium speed for 10-15 minutes until the dough doesn’t stick to the sides of the bowl, wraps around the dough hook, and most importantly, you can pull it a few inches without tearing.

This isn’t quite the windowpane test. That’s because the dough has so many seed inclusions and needs a longer rest period with stretch and folds before passing the windowpane test. You simply won’t get that level of strength until later in the process. Now, stretching it a few inches without tearing is the right signal that you can move on to bulk fermentation.

3. Bulk Fermentation

Then, transfer the dough to the bowl, cover it, and place it in a warm location (75-80ºF) to proof for about 4 to 5 hours.

At the end of bulk fermentation, the dough will at least double in size and be full of air. There should be some visible gas bubbles on the surface of the dough and it will be domed shape.

Because of this dough’s high hydration and large amount of whole wheat additions, it will proof faster than other recipes. Check the dough throughout and note that if it’s in a cooler location, it will take longer to proof.

During bulk fermentation, perform a series of stretch and folds every 30 minutes for the first hour and a half (3 in total). The stretch and folds will continue strengthening the dough and give you a hands-on sense of how fast your dough is fermenting.

After the last stretch and fold, let the dough bulk ferment for the remainder of time.

4. Overnight Proof

Transfer the seeded dough to the refrigerator to proof overnight and up to 48 hours.

The overnight proof has a few benefits, including improving the final product’s flavor and making it easier to shape. Lastly, the overnight proof allows you to bake the bread on your own schedule.

5. Shape

The next day, prepare your additional seed toppings. Add an equal mix of pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds (or other seed options) to a large plate, cutting board, or small baking sheet. Set aside.

Additionally, prepare the bread loaf pan by spraying it with non-stick spray or oil and set it aside.

Then, remove the cold dough from the refrigerator and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Deflate the dough and press it into a square (about 9×9″).

Gently roll up the dough into a log shape with the seam-side down. To top with seeds, flip it seam-side up and transfer it to the seed tray. Roll it gently from side to side to coat the sticky dough in seeds.

Lastly, flip the dough again (seeds up) and drop it into a bread loaf pan. If there’s any sticking to the sides of the pan, use a butter knife to scrape down the sides to clean it up.

6. Final Proof

Cover the pan and proof for about 4 hours in a warm location (78ºF or 26ºC). The final proof is complete when the dough at least doubles in height and feels full of air if you press it lightly with a finger.

In the pullman pan that I bake this in, the dough rises slightly above the top of the pan when it’s complete.

7. Bake

Preheat the oven to 425ºF (218ºC) and bake for 10 minutes. This initial hot temperature will make the dough rise taller and faster with more oven spring, leading to a softer dough.

After 10 minutes, lower the oven temperature to 375ºF (191ºC) and bake for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the internal temperature of the loaf reads about 195ºF (91ºC).

While baking, cover the top of the pan with aluminum foil if the seeds start to brown too quickly.

Finally, let the bread cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan. Then, let it cool completely for at least an hour. While tempting, don’t slice the bread while it is still hot, or it will lose too much moisture from the steam and have a gummy interior.

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How to Store:

One off my favorite perks about this whole wheat sourdough bread is that it stores well for many days at room temperature.

The high hydration of the loaf, the yudane method, and use of sourdough all keep the loaf soft and fresh tasting for a few days even after slicing. Once sliced, keep the bread wrapped in aluminum foil and reheat slices in a toaster oven.

Furthermore, you can easily freeze slices to serve later. Slice the bread and store the slices in freezer-safe bags for up to a few months. Reheat before serving.

How to Serve:

You can serve this whole wheat many ways! It’s hearty and full of seeds, making it a healthier alternative to standard white sandwich bread.

This loaf is great as breakfast toast with jam and delicious bread for sandwiches like PB&Js or lunch sandwiches.

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FAQs:

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