There is something deeply satisfying about baking sourdough bread with fresh milled flour. Milling your own hard white wheat berries creates a loaf that is wholesome, flavorful, and rich with natural goodness. The aroma alone is worth the effort, and the texture is hearty yet tender with a beautifully crisp crust.
This fresh milled sourdough bread recipe is simple, traditional, and perfect for weekly baking rhythms. With a long ferment in the refrigerator, you can bake when it suits your schedule at any time of the day while enjoying improved flavor and digestibility.
Fresh Milled Sourdough Bread
There is something deeply satisfying about baking sourdough bread with fresh milled flour. Milling your own hard white wheat berries creates a loaf that is wholesome, flavorful, and rich with natural goodness.
Ingredients
- 200 g sourdough starter
- 800 g hard white wheat berries
- 600 g water
- 2 teaspoons salt
Instructions
Mill 800 grams of hard white wheat berries into flour, plus 100–200 grams extra to feed your starter.
In a mixing bowl, combine starter, freshly milled flour, water, and salt. Mix until a scraggly dough forms.
Cover with a damp towel and rest for 30 minutes.After 30 minutes or so, play with the dough. Knead it a few times and stretch and fold it 3-4 times if it will stretch.
Throughout the day, knead gently and perform stretch and folds several times, allowing the dough to rest between each session.
Once the dough begins to rise, place it into a lined baneton or towel-lined bowl. Cover and refrigerate to long ferment until ready to bake.
Preheat a Dutch oven in the oven at 430°F.
Turn dough onto parchment paper and score the top.
Carefully place dough into the hot Dutch oven using the parchment paper. Cover with lid.
Bake covered for 30 minutes, then uncovered for 25 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.
Notes
Prepare multiple loaves at once and store them in the refrigerator to long ferment. Bake one loaf at a time as needed throughout the week.
Why Use Fresh Milled Flour for Sourdough Bread?
Fresh milled flour contains the full wheat berry that has not been crushed in any way — bran, germ, and endosperm — making it fresher, more nutritious, and flavorful than store-bought flour. Hard white wheat berries produce a lighter, softer whole wheat loaf than hard red wheat or soft wheat berries.
When paired with an active sourdough starter and a slow fermentation process, fresh milled flour produces a rustic loaf with a subtle sour flavor and beautiful oven spring.
Ingredients for Fresh Milled Flour Sourdough Bread
- 200 grams sourdough starter
- 800 grams hard white wheat berries
- 600 grams water
- 2 teaspoons salt
Equipment Needed
- Cast iron Dutch oven
- Large mixing bowl
- Kitchen scale
- Bowl cover or plastic wrap
- Tea towel
- Banneton basket (or bowl lined with a towel)
- Wire rack
How to Make Sourdough Bread with Fresh Milled Flour
Begin by milling the hard white wheat berries into fresh flour. Do not forget to mill an extra 100–200 grams of wheat to feed your starter for future baking.
In a large mixing bowl, combine 200 grams of sourdough starter, 800 grams of freshly milled flour, 600 grams of water, and 2 teaspoons of salt. Mix everything together until it forms a scraggly dough.
Cover the bowl with a damp towel and allow the dough to rest for about 30 minutes or so. This resting period helps the flour absorb the water and begins gluten development.
Throughout the day, give your dough some attention. Knead it gently a few times and perform stretch and folds. Then let it rest again. Repeat this process of handling the dough and letting it rest until it begins to rise.
Once the dough starts to rise, place it into a lined banneton basket or a bowl lined with a tea towel if you do not have a banneton. Cover with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to long ferment until you are ready to bake.
How to Bake Fresh Milled Sourdough Bread
When you are ready to bake, place your cast iron Dutch oven into the oven and preheat to 430°F. Allow the Dutch oven to heat fully with the oven.
Once preheated, carefully remove the Dutch oven from the oven. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and gently turn it out onto a large piece of parchment paper.
Score the top of the dough with a lame or razor blade to prevent it from bursting in uneven places as it bakes.
Carefully remove the lid from the hot Dutch oven. Using the parchment paper, lift the dough and lower it into the pot. Cover with the lid.
Bake covered for 30 minutes. Then remove the lid and continue baking for another 25 minutes
Once it has finished baking, transfer the bread to a wire rack. Allow it to cool for at least 1 hour before slicing. If you cannot resist a slice of devious warm bread, try to wait at least 30 minutes to allow the interior to set properly.
Tips for Weekly Sourdough Baking
Reduce the number of times you bake each week by preparing multiple loaves at once. Shape several loaves and place them in the refrigerator to long ferment. When you are ready for fresh bread, simply pull one out and bake it.
This rhythm makes fresh milled sourdough bread a manageable and sustainable part of your weekly routine.
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