In early June 2023, I started to make and bake my own 75% whole-wheat sourdough bread − I baked two boules. To my surprise, the ‘experiment’ went pretty well.
Years ago, a friend had given me Ken Forkish’s book Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast. My spouse encouraged me to pick up breadmaking as a hobby in June. I followed the 75% Whole Wheat recipe described in Ken Forkish’s book starting on page 144. It is a kind of ‘Mischbrot,’ as German-speaking folks call it.
However, the two boules did not rise or spring quite as much as I had wanted, probably because I did not fold the dough well enough after bulk fermentation and proofing. Regardless, the bread still tasted remarkable. On my first try, I was much encouraged.
Whole wheat bread is both Christine’s and my preferred bread − bread with as much unrefined whole wheat as possible. There are too many empty carbs in bread made with white flour from refined wheat. Refined carbs include mostly sugars and processed grains. They are empty calories and lead to rapid spikes in blood sugar and insulin levels.
Read up on how to make whole wheat sourdough bread
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/high-hydration-whole-wheat-sourdough-bread-recipe
Watch a few instructional videos to get started
The following videos are helpful.
Following are some other YouTube videos about making whole wheat bread. The first video (37 minutes) by a German guy (in English) describes a fairly detailed way of making whole wheat sourdough bread.
The next video (12 minutes) is a more straightforward way of making whole wheat sourdough bread.
Getting a loaf to rise takes a bit of practice
I think paying attention to proper measurements of weights, volumes, or ratios is essential. But there is more to it! The tricky thing about getting these loaves of bread to rise is the adequate shaping of the loaves, that is, the folding of the final dough after fermentation and before proofing in the refrigerator overnight. Watching the following video (23 minutes) about folding and shaping the dough was helpful.
The following video (12 minutes) explains whole wheat sourdough baking with a detailed timeline. Very helpful!
The following is another good video (22 minutes) explaining some essential details of making bread and getting the dough to spring, that is, to rise.
The following video (27 minutes) from Full Proof Baking is also very instructive.
Enjoy…
YouTube has tons more instructional videos on breadmaking. Baking artisan bread is a nutritional hobby to master, IMHO.