Same rhythm as the Classic Boule, but genuinely wheat-forward. Nearly a third of the flour is whole wheat, so the crumb is darker and tighter, the flavor nuttier, and the fermentation faster. If you've made the Classic, you've made this — just wetter and quicker.
Here's the honest math. You weigh 100 g of whole wheat flour into the bowl, and the 100 g of active starter brings another 50 g with it (I feed my starter exclusively with organic whole wheat at 1:1:1). Counting the starter in, the totals come to 500 g of flour — 350 g bread flour, 150 g whole wheat. A true 70/30. Water totals 370 g, so hydration is 74%, a little wetter than the Classic on purpose: whole wheat drinks more.
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bread flour | 350 g | 70% of the 500 g total flour |
| Whole wheat flour | 100 g | The starter brings another 50 g — 30% whole wheat overall |
| Warm water | 320 g | Higher than the Classic — whole wheat drinks more |
| Active starter | 100 g | Fed 8–12 hr earlier, passes float test |
| Fine sea salt | 10 g | Added after autolyse |
This loaf is genuinely wheat-forward. 100 g of whole wheat is weighed into the bowl, plus another 50 g comes from the starter — that’s 150 g of whole wheat out of 500 g total, roughly 30% of the finished loaf. Bread flour makes up the other 70%. Water totals 370 g for 74% hydration, and the dough comes to ~880 g.
Weights use baker’s percentage — the starter’s flour and water are subtracted from the totals. Use the calculator to scale.
New to sourdough? Learn how to make your own starter.
Method
1Mix the dough (5 min)
In your large bowl, combine 320 g warm water and 100 g starter. Stir with your hand until the starter dissolves and the water turns milky. Add 350 g bread flour and 100 g whole wheat flour. Mix with your hand or a wooden spoon until no dry flour remains. It'll look shaggy and stickier than the Classic. That's the wheat. Don't fight it.
2Autolyse (30 min)
Cover with a damp towel. Walk away. The wheat needs this rest more than white flour does — it lets the bran hydrate.
3Add the salt (2 min)
Sprinkle 10 g salt over the top. Wet your hand. Pinch and squeeze the dough through your fingers for about a minute, until the salt dissolves and the dough feels smooth.
4First fold (30 sec)
Wet your hand. Reach under one side, pull up, fold over. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn. Four folds. Cover the bowl.
5Rest (30 min)
Set a timer. Drink water. Tell yourself you're doing great.
6Second fold (30 sec)
Same as the first. Four folds. The dough is starting to feel stronger and smoother.
7Rest (30 min)
Timer. Rest. The dough should be growing in confidence.
8Third fold (30 sec)
Wet hand. Four folds. Cover. You should feel real spring in the dough now.
9Rest (30 min)
Last rest before the final fold.
10Fourth fold (30 sec)
Same routine. The dough should feel tight, smooth, and slightly jiggly.
11Bulk rise (45 min – 1 hour)
Let it sit covered at room temperature. Whole wheat ferments faster than white, so expect this bulk to run 10–15 minutes shorter than the Classic Boule — start checking early. Watch for ~50% growth and a slightly domed top. Warm kitchen + faster. Cool kitchen + slower. You can also use your oven's proof setting at ~100°F — it'll get there in about 45 minutes. Same target either way: ~50% growth, puffy and bubbly.
12Shape (5 min)
Lightly flour the counter. Scrape the dough out. Gently pull the edges into the center to form a rough round. Flip seam-side down. Cup your hands around the back and pull it toward you on the counter to build surface tension. Repeat a few times until it's tight and round.
13Into the banneton (2 min)
Heavily flour your banneton (a bowl lined with a floured towel). Place the dough seam-side up in the banneton. Pinch the seam closed if it's loose. Cover with plastic or a shower cap.
14Cold retard (8–14 hours)
Into the fridge. This is where the flavor happens. 8 hours minimum, 14 hours is even better. Don't skip this. Don't shortcut it. Go to bed. This IS your final proof. No separate room-temp proof needed before the fridge — the cold and the time do all the work.
15Preheat (45 min, morning day 2)
Put your empty cold Dutch oven (with lid on) into the oven. Set the oven to 500°F. Heat for 45 full minutes. The pot must be ripping hot.
16Score (2 min)
Pull the cold dough out of the fridge. Flip it onto a square of parchment. With a lame or sharp paring knife, score one confident slash across the top — about 5 cm long and 1 cm deep. One cut is plenty.
17Bake covered (20 min)
Carefully pull the hot Dutch oven out. Use the parchment as handles to lower the dough in. Put the lid on. Bake 20 minutes at 500°F. The trapped steam does the magic.
18Bake uncovered (20–25 min)
Remove the lid. Drop the temperature to 450°F. Bake another 20–25 minutes until the crust is deep golden-brown. Internal temp should read 200–205°F.
19Cool (1 hour minimum)
Lift the loaf out by the parchment. Set on a wire rack. Don't cut it yet. I know. I know. The crumb is still setting. Slicing too early gives you gummy bread. Wait one full hour.
Compared to
The published recipes I learned from and measured mine against. Respect to the bakers who came first.
Tartine's flagship is 10% whole wheat at 75% hydration with a two-stage levain. Yours triples the wheat to 30% (100 g weighed in, 50 g from the starter) at 74% hydration, and keeps the simpler single-build levain.
Maurizio's beginner loaf includes 15% whole wheat and 5% rye in a three-flour blend at 72% hydration. Yours simplifies to two flours and doubles the wheat to 30%, at a slightly wetter 74%.