Wholegrain sourdough tin loaf

Name: Wholegrain sourdough tin loaf
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 19 h 15 min
Ingredients: 100 g sourdough starter; 350 g whole-wheat flour; 150 g bread flour; 400 ml water; 10 g salt; 15 g honey (optional); 5 g butter (optional)

Vegetarian

A moist, nutty sourdough made with 70% wholemeal flour and baked in a tin, so it slices neatly for sandwiches and toast while keeping a gentle sourdough tang.

Wholegrain sourdough tin loaf is an International bread, ready in about 19 hours 15 minutes and made with sourdough starter and whole-wheat flour. It serves 16 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking

No licensed photograph of this dish yet.

Prep: 25 min
Cook: 50 min
Rest: 18 h
Total: 19 h 15 min
Serves: 16
Level: Intermediate
Calories: 120

About 4 hours of autolyse and bulk, an overnight 10–12 hour cold proof and 3 hours' cooling.

Ingredients

16 slices

100 g Sourdough starter (opens in a new tab)Active, recently fed starter at 100% hydration (20% of the flour).Contains wheat, gluten
350 g Whole-wheat flour (opens in a new tab)Stoneground wholemeal bread flour (70%).Contains wheat, gluten
150 g Bread flour (opens in a new tab)30% white bread flour lightens the crumb.Contains wheat, gluten
400 ml Water (opens in a new tab)80% hydration — bran absorbs a lot of water. Use 26 °C water.
10 g Salt (opens in a new tab)
15 g Honey (opens in a new tab) (optional)Rounds off the bitterness of the bran.Swap: Maple syrup
5 g Butter (opens in a new tab) (optional)Or oil, for greasing the tin.Contains milk

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Mix both flours with 380 g of the water and leave for 1 hour; wholemeal benefits from a longer autolyse because the bran softens and the dough becomes much easier to handle.
2
Step 2
Add the starter, salt, honey (opens in a new tab) and remaining 20 g water. Squeeze and fold for 3–4 minutes until evenly combined. The dough will feel soft and pasty rather than silky.
- 5 min
3
Step 3
Bulk ferment at 24–26 °C for about 3–3½ hours with 3 sets of stretch-and-folds in the first 90 minutes. Wholegrain ferments faster than white dough; stop when it has risen by about 50%, looks airy at the edges and smells pleasantly sour.
- 6 min
4
Step 4
Grease a 900 g (2 lb) loaf tin (opens in a new tab). Turn the dough out, pat into a rectangle the length of the tin, roll it up tightly and place it seam-down in the tin. Cover and refrigerate for 10–12 hours.
5
Step 5
Take the tin out while the oven (opens in a new tab) heats to 230 °C (fan 210 °C) with a roasting tin on the bottom shelf. The loaf is ready when it has domed just above the rim and a floured fingertip leaves a dent that springs back slowly.
- 30 min
- 230°C · fan 210 °C
How it looks · Photo: locrifa on Pexels
6
Step 6
Put the loaf in, pour a cup of boiling water into the hot roasting tin and close the door. Bake 20 minutes, then lower to 210 °C (fan 190 °C) for 25–30 minutes. Turn out and check: it should read 96–98 °C in the middle; return to the oven (opens in a new tab) out of the tin for 5 minutes for a firmer crust.
- 50 min
- 210°C · fan 190 °C after the first 20 minutes at 230 °C
- Oven (opens in a new tab)
- Food thermometer (opens in a new tab)
Food safety: Pour water for steam carefully and stand back — the burst of steam can scald hands and face. Don't pour water onto a glass oven door.
7
Step 7
Cool completely on a rack — about 3 hours. Wholegrain crumb stays sticky if cut warm.
- Cooling rack (opens in a new tab)

About this dish

Origin: Not attributed to one place · Origin uncertainWholegrain sourdough breads are baked across Europe; this tin-baked version is a home-baking style rather than a specific regional bread.Also popular in United Kingdom, France, Germany, United States
Dish: Breakfast · Lunch · Breads & flatbreads
Cooking method: Oven-baked, Fermented
Taste: nutty, sour, earthy
Diet: Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-fat · DASH-style
Without the optional extras: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Dairy-free, No added sugarWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly · Everyday
Cook more with: Sourdough starter · Whole-wheat flour · Bread flour
Techniques: Roasting · Baking · Boiling · Fermentation

Allergens

Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom butter
Contains: Wheatfrom sourdough starter, whole-wheat flour, bread flour
Contains: Glutenfrom sourdough starter, whole-wheat flour, bread flour

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

120 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 55 g · recipe makes 16

Where the energy comes from

Protein 14%
Carbohydrate 81%
Fat 5%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g
Energy	120 kcal	217 kcal
Protein	4.3 g	7.9 g
Carbohydrate	24.9 g	45.3 g
Net carbohydrate	22.3 g	40.5 g
Sugars	0.1 g	0.2 g
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Fibre	2.7 g	4.8 g
Fat	0.7 g	1.3 g
Saturated fat	0.1 g	0.2 g
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg
Sodium	243 mg	443 mg
Salt equivalent	0.6 g	1.1 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 92 mg
Calcium: 12 mg
Iron: 1.3 mg
Magnesium: 34 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 0 µg
Vitamin C: 0 mg
Vitamin D: 0 µg
Vitamin B12: 0 µg
Folate (DFE): 46 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
Optional ingredients are not included: honey, butter.
Sourdough starter: Modelled as a 100%-hydration starter: equal weights of flour and water, so half of white flour's values per gram.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Wet hands, not floured, are best for handling high-hydration wholemeal dough.

Common mistakes

Letting the bulk run as long as a white sourdough — wholegrain over-ferments quickly and collapses.

Serve with

Thinly sliced with butter and cheese, or toasted with eggs.

Storage

Keeps 4–5 days wrapped; the crumb stays moist. Freezes well sliced.

Reheating

Toast from frozen.

Variations

Spelt and wholemeal: Replace the white flour with white spelt and reduce the water by 20 g.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 29 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Compare with

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Whole-wheat flour350 g
Bread flour150 g

Used in step 1

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

Mix and knead · about 25 min
Mix, rest 30 minutes (autolyse), then add salt. Strengthen with sets of stretch-and-folds instead of long kneading.
First rise (bulk) · about 4 h 15 min
Risen 50–75%, domed and bubbly at the edges, wobbles when the bowl is shaken. Warmer kitchens are faster.
Final proof · about 11 h 30 min
Slow, partial spring-back from a floured poke. Cold-proofed dough can go straight from the fridge into the oven.
Bake · about 50 min at 230 °C
Deep golden; bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath, or reads 93–96 °C inside (enriched breads 88–90 °C).
Cool · about 3 h
Cool on a rack before slicing — the crumb is still setting; cutting hot bread makes it gummy.
Start to finish: about 20 h. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

The dough

The dough in baker's percentages. Flour = 100%.
Ingredient	Role	Weight	Baker’s %
Whole-wheat flour	Flour	350 g	63.6%
Bread flour	Flour	150 g	27.3%
Water	Water	400 g	72.7%
Sourdough starter	Starter	100 g	18.2%
Salt	Salt	10 g	1.8%

Total flour: 550 g
Hydration: 81.8%
With milk, eggs…: 81.8%
Wholegrain: 63.6%

Hydration = water ÷ flour × 100. Milk is about 87% water and eggs about 75%, so they’re shown separately as “with milk, eggs…”. The starter’s own flour and water are included once in the totals.

Wet dough (over 75%) — sticky; use wet hands and folds instead of kneading. Ciabatta, focaccia and open sourdough.
Salt 1.8% — normal for bread.
63.6% wholegrain — absorbs more water and gives a denser, nuttier loaf.
9.1% of the flour comes from the starter (100 g at 100% hydration: 50 g flour + 50 g water, already included above).

If something goes wrong

Dense, heavy loaf
Likely causes
- Under-kneaded (weak gluten)
- Under-proofed
- Old or dead yeast/starter
- Too much wholegrain flour without extra water
What to do
- Knead to the windowpane stage
- Proof by the poke test, not the clock
- Test yeast in warm water with sugar; feed the starter and use it at its peak
- Add 5–10% more water for wholegrain flours and give them a rest
Gummy or wet crumb
Likely causes
- Under-baked
- Sliced while hot
- Hydration too high for the flour
What to do
- Bake to 93–96 °C inside (cakes: clean skewer)
- Cool completely on a rack before slicing
- Reduce water by 3–5% or use a stronger flour
Spreads flat / no oven spring
Likely causes
- Over-proofed
- Weak shaping (no surface tension)
- Oven not hot enough
- Too much water for the flour
What to do
- Shorten the proof; bake when the poke springs back slowly
- Shape tightly so the skin is taut
- Preheat fully (30+ minutes; with a stone or Dutch oven, 45)
- Lower hydration or use bread flour
Pale crust
Likely causes
- Oven too cool
- Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
- Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)
What to do
- Check the oven with a thermometer
- Brush with egg wash or milk
- Shorten the fermentation
Burnt bottom
Likely causes
- Tray too close to the heat
- Dark tray absorbs more heat
- Too much sugar in the dough
What to do
- Bake on the middle shelf
- Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
- Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
Crust too hard or thick
Likely causes
- Baked too long at too low a temperature
- No steam at the start
What to do
- Bake hotter for a shorter time
- Add steam for the first 15 minutes (tray of boiling water, or a covered Dutch oven)
- Cool under a tea towel for a softer crust
Too sour
Likely causes
- Long, cool fermentation
- Starter used after its peak
- High proportion of wholegrain or rye in the starter
What to do
- Ferment warmer (24–26 °C) and shorter
- Use the starter at its peak
- Feed the starter with white flour, at a higher ratio (1:5:5)
Dough didn't rise
Likely causes
- Dead yeast (expired or killed by hot liquid)
- Kitchen too cold
- Salt in direct contact with fresh yeast
- Starter not active
What to do
- Liquid should be lukewarm (no hotter than 40 °C)
- Proof somewhere warm (an oven with just the light on)
- Mix the salt into the flour, not onto the yeast
- Feed the starter until it doubles in 4–8 hours
Over-proofed (sour smell, collapses when scored)
Likely causes
- Too warm
- Too much yeast
- Left too long
What to do
- Knock back, reshape and proof again briefly (yeast doughs)
- Use less yeast or a cooler proof
- Set a timer and check early with the poke test

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