Sourdough Experiment with More Whole Wheat

I don’t make sourdough posts every time I make sourdough, anymore. It’s a routine now.

But this morning I’m going to try a little experiment. I have preferment for two loaves, and I’m going to add different amounts of whole wheat flour to them in the next stage. Normally I add no whole wheat flour, but I would like the loaves to rise a little more than usual, without waiting more time, and whole wheat flour jazzes the little guys up, so I think this might work.

Normally I use 375g bread flour. In the glass bowl I will use 150g whole wheat flour and 225g bread flour (totaling the original weight). In the other bowl I’ll use the original recipe, 375g bread flour.

Dough in a bowl, only taking up a small amount of the bowl — The dough after initially putting all the ingredients together

Initially, at 0730, they look pretty similar.

Dough in a bowl, taking up maybe half of the bowl — The dough after some initial rising and working

Their rise occurred at about the same rate.

Dough in a bowl, some bubble lumps, taking up most of the bowl — The dough when the initial rising is done

Unfortunately I don’t have two large bread pans that are the same size… I put the glass bowl dough into the gold colored pan.

Dough in a bread pan, taking up half of the pan — Dough ready to rise in the pan

The smaller pan was ready to bake earlier, at 1830, but I suspect it hasn’t actually risen faster, it’s just in a smaller pan.

Dough in a bread pan, taking up most of the pan — Dough almost ready to bake…

I popped the gold pan in the oven at 1930.

Two loaves of bread on a cutting board — All done, looking alright… It’s gonna taste great of course.

That’s the gold pan’s completed loaf there in the back… It has risen only about the normal amount, so the experiment failed.

The bread did still taste good.