Homemade Fresh Milled Sourdough Sandwich Bread

This Homemade Fresh Milled Sourdough Sandwich Bread is lightly fermented for a subtle tang, soft, and structured. A recipe that your family is sure to love!

Jump to Recipe

Many times as a child, my brothers and I would come home to the smell of fresh bread. Mom would let us down a whole loaf with butter and honey, just for an after school snack! I appreciate that a lot since I’ve gotten older.

Questions often asked are, “If fresh milled flour oxidizes so quickly, then how can bread be good for you? “Does it need to be eaten immediately to retain nutritional value?” Or, “Does the longer rise for sourdough mean that it oxidizes more than regular yeast leavened bread?” Very valid questions these are!

What happens when we make bread?

A simple loaf of bread contains so much science and is a mini miracle in itself!

God knows exactly what our bodies need. He created food sources that would allow us to get the vitamins and nutrients to function properly. The main difference between sourdough and yeast is that yeast is a single strain cultured bacteria, while sourdough starter is a fermented mixture of flour and water that contains a wild yeast and bacteria. As the leaven, whether sourdough or yeast, spreads through the dough, it feeds on the starch and sugars found in the flour and added sweeteners. When the sugars and starches are consumed, it releases carbon dioxide and alcohol, which is the process of fermentation.

Gluten is formed of two proteins found in flour, called gliadin and glutenin. They are alined and developed when brought in contact with liquid, and mixed or kneaded. Gliadin makes the dough stretchy, and glutenin provides the snap back, or elasticity. This creates a whole network, so that when yeast and sugars ferment and release carbon dioxide, the gluten proteins trap the gas, creating bubbles in the dough.

If you read “Why choose fresh milled flour?”, then you learned what happens when oxygen comes in contact with the nutrients found in fresh milled wheat. It is oxidized, which basically means that nutrition deteriorates when oxygen comes in contact with the flour.

This is the part that blows my mind! Carbon dioxide, which is released through fermentation, is then trapped by the gluten proteins, which prevents oxygen from coming in contact with the valuable vitamins and nutrients in our bread dough! Not only did God create grain with such a high nutritional value, but He designed it in such a way that those same nutrients can be protected and preserved through the process of making bread!

Sourdough? Or Fresh Milled?

Your bread cannot be any better for you than the ingredients that you make it with. While sourdough is proven to be beneficial and more digestible for many people, the process will not replace the missing nutrients in low quality flour. If you are brand new to both worlds, I recommend taking it slow and not overwhelming yourself with too much information. Get used to one before incorporating the other.

If I had to choose between the two, I would personally much rather include fresh milled wheat into my diet before sourdough. Whole grains are a diet staple, while sourdough is a process. My advice would be, choose quality ingredients and then experiment with them!

Ingredients You’ll Need for Homemade Fresh Milled Sourdough Sandwich Bread.

• Fresh milled hard white wheat flour
• Warm milk. We get raw milk locally, and it makes my bread so soft with a finer crumb! If you want to cut back on the dairy, you can substitute this with warm water.
• Active sourdough starter. I use a 1:1:1 ratio with my starter, and I feed it with fresh milled flour. A good test to determine whether or not your starter is active is to pinch a bit and put it in water. If it floats, it’s ready to use!
• Raw honey. Honey is full of so many beneficial properties and helps to keep bread soft.
• Olive oil
• An egg
• Vital wheat gluten. This is optional, but adding it will increase the elasticity and softness of your dough. If you remove it, you’ll need to increase to a bulk rise of 8-10 hours.
• Salt

Tools You’ll Need

Grain Mill– I use the Komo Classic Mill and love it! I grind most of my flour on the finest setting.

Two 9″x5″ Bread pans

Digital kitchen scales– weighing your flour will give you a much more consistent result. Things like humidity and temperature can all factor in, but having the same amount of flour every time sure helps! Weighing your dough when forming it into loaves ensures that they bake the same.

Mixer- I use a Bosch mixer, and while not the most aesthetic tool I own, it sure gets the job done! Kneading time is very essential in working with fresh milled yeast doughs.

How to Make Homemade Fresh Milled Sourdough Sandwich Bread.

Mill your hard white wheat berries. Then combine all the ingredients EXCEPT the salt. Let rest for 1 hour. While salt is essential in bread dough, it inhibits the leavening process. This time also allows the fresh milled flour to soak up the liquid, resulting in a softer, more pliable dough.

After letting the dough rest for an hour, add in the salt and knead on low to medium low speed for 10 minutes, until the dough reaches window pane stage. This step is crucial in creating soft light bread, because it builds structure and develops the gluten. The dough should be smooth and elastic, with a bit of a satin sheen.

When the dough reaches this stage, place it in an oiled bowl, cover with a damp towel, and let it rise for 3 hours, or until doubled. Then divide into 2 parts. I like to weigh them to get them exactly the same so that they rise and bake equally. Shape into loaves and place into greased loaf pans. Let the dough rise until it is an inch above the pan.

Place them in a preheated oven at 350º F for 30-35 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 190º F. This may vary depending on your oven, because my mom finds that it works better for her at 325º F.

They will be a beautiful golden brown when finished! Remove from bread pans immediately and butter the tops. Cool before bagging.

Tips

Lining the pans with parchment paper makes for easier removal!

Sometimes I will cover the loaf pans in plastic wrap and put them in the fridge overnight. Then remove them the next morning, let them finish rising, and bake them.

For my husband and I, it works best to use half a loaf at a time since we don’t go through it that quickly. I put the rest in the freezer and pull out as needed. This keeps it soft and fresh!

*Affiliate Disclosure

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase, at no extra cost to you!