Fresh Milled Flour Sourdough bread sliced up with half the boule behind the slices
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Sourdough Bread With Fresh Milled Flour Made EASY

Sourdough Bread With Fresh Milled Flour Made EASY! If I can do it, you can do it. It is ok to fail, as long as you try again!

Fresh Milled Flour Sourdough bread sliced up with half the boule behind the slices
Fresh Milled Flour Sourdough Bread

Ok, I had to do it! I am by no means a professional sourdough baker. I am assuming you have also seen those beautiful crusty sourdough loaves that are scored so perfectly that look like a piece of art that should be in an art gallery! Yes, I have seen those too, and they are gorgeous!

Beginner Sourdough Bakers

But, What About the Rest Of Us?

Right? The rest of us home bakers that just want to put healthy food on the table, and don’t have years to perfect a loaf before we can serve it to our family. I hear you! I am one of you! So, I decided to share my recipe.

close up of a whole fresh milled flour sourdough loaf

You can see where the sourdough loaf decided it wanted to rise more, even where I did not have it scored. I love when a loaf comes alive and makes it’s own decisions, even if this may be considered a flaw to some. Each Sourdough bread loaf is different, and they all have their own character!

My Sourdough Journey

In the beginning, I had a beautiful sourdough journey, But, it did start out with 100% commercial white flour. I was lucky to take a class several years ago back in 2017. And, I soaked in all the info I could! The teacher also shared some of her over 100 year old Authentic San Francisco sourdough starter. I was so grateful for this amazing free gift! I cherished it and cared for it for many years.

How I Killed My Original Sourdough Starter

Then…. I killed it. sad day. That is the day I learned that bleached flour can kill your sourdough starter. I tried to no avail to revive him. But, in the long run, it was ok. Because, this forced me to make my own starter from scratch. Which I did, and did again, and did again. Sigh… You know what I mean right? I tried and failed, tried and failed again, and finally success! It is frustrating to mess up so many times, but WOW the satisfaction you feel when it finally works out, and is bubbly and YOURS!

My Sourdough Starter Made With Fresh Milled Flour

Eventually, I had a 100% fresh milled flour sourdough starter, made from scratch, by me! And, you know what? I take so much better care of something that I put so much time and effort on! “Bubbles,” my sourdough starter, is kind of like a pet in our house. He comes out on the counter and makes delicious food for us, then he gets to go on “vacation” in the fridge for a week or so if we have travel days, or a busy schedule, and I know he will get neglected.

A mason jar showing the air bubbles that are created from sourdough starter

Here is Bubbles, my sourdough starter. He is made with 100% Freshly Milled Flour. I use a mix of different whole wheat flours. Whichever wheat berry I use that day is typically what Bubbles gets fed.

Struggling With Fresh Milled Flour Sourdough

I struggled with making a good sourdough loaf once I switched to fresh milled flour. It was very frustrating to me, and I felt like I was wasting so much! Either the loaf was too dense, or way too sour, just completely inedible. I almost gave up! And, I put my sourdough starter, Bubbles in “time out” in my refrigerator for awhile. Oh, I wanted to just cry! How could I have the most beautiful loaves of sourdough bread with regular flour, but not with fresh milled flour.

Don’t Give Up On Sourdough, Try & Learn Until You Succeed!

But, if you know me at all, you know I just could not give up! Every time I opened my fridge, there was “Bubbles” just looking at me, almost begging to give him another try. Well, I am so glad my determination paid off, and I had to give it another try.

Each time I had a failed loaf, I learned something. Actually, I am still learning things. Every time I bake bread, any kind of bread, I learn!

a graphic of smiling bread and text reading "I Believe in you!" and "You can do this!"

Tricks To Sourdough Bread With Fresh Milled Flour Making It Easy

There are a couple tricks to know when working with fresh milled flour to make Sourdough Bread. I can tell you there are 2 major things I noticed, and once I switched things up, I started having success! Are my sourdough loaves perfect? No, Are they delicious, and nutritious? YES!

The first thing I realized is that Fresh milled flour (the hard wheat varieties) are so much thirstier! I used to make 75% hydration loaves with white flour with no issues. I found that fresh milled flour needs to be at a minimum 80% hydration. Don’t worry, I will cover what the heck hydration level is, and what I am talking about next.

The second important thing I realized was that fresh milled flour seems to ferment much quicker. So, I realized that overnight fermentation that I always did with white flour sourdough wasn’t working with fresh milled flour, it was ending up WAY to sour, and that is coming from family members who love a sour bread. (Not me, I prefer a mild sourness.)

Nutrimill Harvest Grain Mill milling flour

This day I was using Spelt. These everyday Grain Storage Bins are Amazing to have on hand! They completely seal for freshness and keep out moisture, and they have a nice wide opening so I can get a large measuring scoop in and out easily. You can grab some HERE

What Is Hydration Level In Sourdough Bread?

Hydration level is the moisture level in the bread dough. Ok, great… what does that mean?

The hydration level in Sourdough Bread (or any bread, really, just more commonly talked about with sourdough) is always based on the weight of the flour, generally in grams. So, for example, if I start with 1000 grams of flour, and I use 800 grams of water, then the bread is 80% hydration. I hope that example makes sense.

Bakers Percentage Made Easy

So, to elaborate more on the hydration level, this also ties into bakers percentages. This will also come up when adding salt. So, let’s take that same 1000 grams of flour, and add 800 grams of water, and 20 grams of salt. These numbers may change with different recipes, but the precents will always go off the weight of the flour. So, with our example loaf, we have 80% hydration, and 2% salt. (this ratio will actually give you 2 nice loafs.)

Why Do I Need To Weigh The Ingredients To Make Sourdough?

Ok, this one can be super controversial (well, sourdough in general seems to be a bit controversial, lol – This is why it took me this long to make a sourdough loaf post, it takes bravery to write a post on sourdough, lol)

Do you need to weigh the ingredients to make sourdough? The answer is yes, and no! How can it be both? Well, if you want a truly successful loaf, that has correct ratios, and the proper procedure, yes. BUT, can you do without measuring in a pinch, sure. (Please sourdough experts, don’t kill me here! lol) I understand not every baker wants to weigh, and was taught to bake exclusively by volume (i.e. cups, etc.) So, for you guys, my recipe has weight and volume.

Measuring your ingredients by weight is still recommended and will give you better results with more accuracy. When measuring by volume, the amounts can vary based on density of flour and how much each persons flour is fluffed, etc.

hand placing an empty white bowl onto a black digital kitchen scale

I try to keep it simple, but when baking, a small kitchen scale gives me more accuracy.

Kitchen Scale

The great thing is kitchen scales are fairly cheap, and you may find yourself happy to have it for other kitchen projects as well. HERE is a link to a fairly inexpensive kitchen scale like the one I have. I have found many uses for mine over the years!

Ingredients For Sourdough Bread Made With Fresh Milled Flour – Easy

  • 1 TBSP Sourdough Starter (15-20g) (Active, healthy, and bubbly)
  • 550 g of Fresh Milled Hard White Wheat Flour – Divided (I mill by weight, but it should be about 3 cups of wheat berries milled into about 4&2/3 cups of total milled flour)
  • 10 g sea salt (1&3/4tsp)
  • 475 g room temperature filtered water – Divided (about 2 cups)
  • Dusting of rice flour
a whole fresh milled flour sourdough boule loaf on a wire cooling rack next to a red and white gingham hot pad.
Whole Wheat 100% Fresh Milled Flour Sourdough Loaf

Instructions For Easy Sourdough Bread Made With Fresh Milled Flour

I will try to explain this process in the best way possible. It may sound intimidating, but the process is not really as difficult as it may sound. I will put the volume and weight, but I HIGHLY suggest you use a scale and make this by weight! This recipe makes 4 Bread Bowls.

MAKE THE LEAVEN THE NIGHT BEFORE

  1. To make the leaven the night before, you use 1 TBSP of a hungry starter and mix it with 50g water(1/4cup) and 50g fresh milled hard white wheat flour (1/2cup). Mix to combine, and let sit covered at room temperature overnight.

THE NEXT MORNING

  1. Firstly, pour 400g of room temperature filtered water into a medium bowl.
  2. Then, add the leaven you made the night before. (the leaven should appear to lightly float if it is ready) Stir.
  3. Next, add 500 g of fresh milled hard white wheat flour, mix until no dry flour is left. Cover and let sit for 30- 45 minutes. This is called the Autolyse.
  4. In a separate small bowl, add 25g room temperature filtered water(1/8cup) and 10g of sea salt(1&3/4 tsp), stir to start dissolving the salt.
  5. Then, after it had a chance to absorb the water, now add the salt & water mixture. and mix it in with your hands. You should see that the dough already is softer and not so shaggy. Cover, and let sit for 30-60 minutes. This is the beginning of the Bulk Ferment.
  6. Pull & fold dough in the bowl, turning the bowl a few times, Then cover.
  7. Repeat this Pull & Fold technique every 30-60 minutes until the dough rises about 20-30%. It should get bubbly, and stretchy over time. This phase should take about 4-6 hours.

Shaping The Loaf

  1. Then, take it to a clean flat work surface, start to shape the loaf. Use the cup & turn technique to form a round shape.
  2. Let the dough ball rest for 10-20 minutes. This is called the Bench Rest.
  3. Repeat shaping 1-2 more times, until the dough ball forms good surface tension. You should notice the dough ball “remembers” better each time you shape it.
  4. During this time, preheat oven to 480*F with Dutch Oven or a High Heat Proof Baking Vessel With Lid inside. (If you don’t have one, never fear, check the notes for an alternative.)
  5. Place dough on parchment paper, and coat dough ball with a little rice flour and score the loaf however you desire.
  6. Place loaf in preheated Dutch oven with lid on.
  7. Bake bread 30 minutes at the 480*F covered.
  8. Then, decrease oven to 450*F, remove the lid, and continue baking 20-25 more minutes.
  9. Check the temperature of the loaf, and bake until the internal temperature of the loaf reaches. 210*F
  10. Let the loaf cool completely before slicing into it.

What If I Don’t Have A Dutch Oven?

You don’t HAVE to have a Dutch oven to make Sourdough. It does make your loaf a little better, but I have an alternative method that won’t require you to purchase anything new… yet.

Alternate Sourdough Cooking Method Without A Dutch Oven

If you don’t have a Dutch Oven, the alternative method would be to use a heat save bowl, fill it with water, and preheat the oven with that water inside to create steam. Then, place loaf on parchment paper and on a baking sheet, and bake with the water in the oven for the first 20 minutes. 

sourdough bread dough balls covered in rice flour

I also LOVE To make Sourdough bread bowls, you can find that recipe HERE

What If I Already Have A Sourdough Starter, But It Is Not Fresh Milled Flour?

Well, I have a whole post on how to transform your sourdough starter into 100% Fresh Milled Flour. HERE is that post. I also have a ton of sourdough Discard Recipes you can find HERE

Fresh milled flour sourdough starter
100% Fresh Milled Hard White Wheat Sourdough Starter.

Make Your Own Sourdough Starter From Scratch With Fresh Milled Flour

If you don’t already have a sourdough starter, but are wanting to make one with 100% fresh milled flour from scratch, I am here for you! I have a video resource that goes over how you can make your very own sourdough starter using only freshly milled flour. I also go over troubleshooting issues to help make this process a little easier for you, and I make a brand new sourdough starter right along side you! You can watch that video HERE.

I also have a written blog post that covers this information, if you would like to print it out and have it handy for when you are just getting started. You can do this, it is not as difficult as some on the internet have made it seem! You can checkout my blog post about it HERE.

Simple Way To Level Up Your Sourdough Bread

I have a great dipping oil recipe that tastes amazing with this sourdough bread. I make it with dried herbs and seasonings if that is what I have on hand, but I love to make it with fresh herbs whenever I have access to them. HERE is that recipe.

a glass bowl of Simple Dipping Oil with seasonings, and a sliced loaf of bread around the oil.
Dipping Oil Recipe

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Flour Mill

Everyday Grain Storage Bins

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Sourdough Whole Grain Recipe Book

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Interested In Learning More About Milling Flour At Home?

I have a great beginner post HERE about Fresh Milled Flour : 101. It is a great place to start. I also have a whole video on Fresh Milled Flour 101 – Learn to mill flour at home video – HERE

More Fresh Milled Flour Recipes

Fresh Milled Flour Recipe list

Sourdough Fresh Milled Flour Made EASY Video

This video is showing the process I use for sourdough bread, I am making smaller bread loafs for bread bowls here, however, the recipe and technique remain the same until it comes time to divide the loaf.

YouTube player

Sourdough Bread Made Easy With 100% Fresh Milled Flour Printable Recipe

Fresh Milled Flour Sourdough bread sliced up with half the boule behind the slices

Sourdough Bread Made With Fresh Milled Flour

Sourdough Bread With Fresh Milled Flour Made EASY! If I can do it, you can do it. It is ok to fail, as long as you try again!
5 from 13 votes
Prep Time 2 days
Cook Time 45 minutes
ferment time 6 hours
Total Time 2 days 6 hours 45 minutes
Servings 1 loaf

Ingredients
  

  • 1 TBSP Sourdough Starter (15-20g) Active, healthy, and bubbly
  • 550 g Fresh Milled Hard White Wheat Flour – Divided I mill by weight, but it should be about 3 cups of wheat berries milled into about 4&2/3 cups of total milled flour
  • 10 g sea salt 1&3/4tsp
  • 475 g room temperature filtered water – Divided about 2 cups
  • Dusting of rice flour

Instructions
 

Note About Weight VS Volume Measuring

  • I will try to explain this process in the best way possible. It may sound intimidating, but the process is not really as difficult as it may sound. I will put the volume and weight, but I HIGHLY suggest you use a scale and make this by weight! This recipe makes 1 Sourdough Bread Loaf

MAKE THE LEAVEN THE NIGHT BEFORE

  • To make the leaven the night before, you use 1 TBSP of a hungry starter and mix it with 50g water(1/4cup) and 50g fresh milled hard white wheat flour (1/2cup). Mix to combine, and let sit covered at room temperature overnight.

The Next Morning

  • Firstly, pour 400g of room temperature filtered water into a medium bowl.
  • Then, add the leaven you made the night before. (the leaven should appear to lightly float if it is ready) Stir.
  • Next, add 500 g of fresh milled hard white wheat flour, mix until no dry flour is left. Cover and let sit for 30- 45 minutes. This is called the Autolyse.
  • In a separate small bowl, add 25g room temperature filtered water(1/8cup) and 10g of sea salt(1&3/4 tsp), stir to start dissolving the salt.
  • Then, after it had a chance to absorb the water, now add the salt & water mixture. and mix it in with your hands. You should see that the dough already is softer and not so shaggy. Cover, and let sit for 30-60 minutes. This is the beginning of the Bulk Ferment.
  • Pull & fold dough in the bowl, turning the bowl a few times, Then cover.
  • Repeat this Pull & Fold technique every 30-60 minutes until the dough rises about 20-30%. It should get bubbly, and stretchy over time. This phase should take about 4-6 hours.

Shaping & Baking The Loaf

  • Then, take it to a clean flat work surface, start to shape the loaf. Use the cup & turn technique to form a round shape.
  • Let the dough ball rest for 10-20 minutes. This is called the Bench Rest.
  • Repeat shaping 1-2 more times, until the dough ball forms good surface tension. You should notice the dough ball “remembers” better each time you shape it.
  • During this time, preheat oven to 480*F with Dutch Oven or a High Heat Proof Baking Vessel With Lid inside. (If you don't have one, never fear, check the notes for an alternative.)
  • Place dough on parchment paper, and coat dough ball with a little rice flour and score the loaf however you desire.
  • Place loaf in preheated Dutch oven with lid on.
  • Bake bread 30 minutes at the 480*F covered.
  • Then, decrease oven to 450*F, remove the lid, and continue baking 20-25 more minutes.
  • Check the temperature of the loaf, and bake until the internal temperature of the loaf reaches. 210*F
  • Let the loaf cool completely before slicing into it.

Video

Notes

If you don’t have a Dutch Oven, the alternative method would be to use a heat save bowl, fill it with water, and preheat the oven with that water inside to create steam. 
Then, place loaf on parchment paper and on a baking sheet, and bake with the water in the oven for the first 20 minutes. 
Keyword fresh ground flour, fresh milled flour, sourdough bread, sourdough starter, whole grain, whole wheat

*This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you! As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. But I will only suggest items I actually Love and Have Used!

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112 Comments

  1. Hi! I am new to sourdough and haven’t even figured out how to make the starter. Do you have a recipe for the starter or the leavin? Or are those the same?

    Thank you

    1. I just start with 50 grams of filtered or bottled water, and 50g of fresh milled flour (any wheat variety.) Let that sit covered, but still able to get air on the counter for 2 days. Then, I will throw half in the trash, and add 50 grams of new fresh milled flour and water. Do this same thing discard then feed each day. Once it starts doubling it is just about ready to use.

      1. Don’t throw half in trash. Save in the fridge until you get enough to use discard in crackers. 🥰

        1. At the beginning of making a starter I would recommend throwing it away until the culture is in balance. Typically the first week or so, until it is doubling regularly. But, once it is stable and good to go, I agree, YES! Save that discard, and make something delicious with it! Thank you for your comment.

          1. That is correct, I also recommend not using your discard in any recipes until it starts consistently doubling. Then you can use it for recipes. I have some info on that in a video I made about making your own sourdough starter from scratch with fresh milled flour. https://youtu.be/lrxGfDPM8Fo

          2. Hello, I have been doing sourdough for a while and just recently started FMF. I haven tried this recipe twice and the issue I keep running into is getting that nice elastic dough. My gluten structure seems so weak, the dough fluffs up and ends up getting torn by the bran when I stretch.

      2. When making the starter, do you just go in with a spoon and literally carve out half of it? Then with a spoon add what’s needed back in and mix it up with my spoon? When it’s first being made, let it sit for 2 days, then start the processes DAILY until it starts to double?

        This is amazing!! I’ve been milling my own flour for about a year now, and I’ve been dying to learn to make sourdough!! Thank you for taking the time to share this!!! I love following you, your videos, and all of your recipes! They’ve been a huge blessing to our family!!

        1. I will get a clean bowl and place it on my digital scale. I will spoon out whatever amount I want of the starter often times I go with 50g. Then, I will add 50g of clean unchlorinated water. I mix that together with the spoon, and then add 50g of my fresh milled flour. mix all together making sure there is no dry flour left. Then I will discard what was left in my starter jar (either in a recipe or in the trash, or save it in a jar in the fridge if you use it often enough.) Then put the new mixture in a clean jar with a loose lid. I hope that helps!

          1. Thank you for helping with this – I finally made my first ever starter on Saturday. So I discarded half and fed it for the first time last night. This morning it is more than doubled!! Is that too fast? Should I wait any longer before using it? Thanks for being available to answer these questions!!

          2. Yay! You can try it, but it may not be quite strong enough. I like to make sure it is doubling consistently for a couple days to know for sure, sometimes it gets a super bubbly rise towards the beginning, then it kind of slows for a couple days. But, if you are itching to try it, it can’t hurt. Just know that as a young starter, it may not rise it as much as a strong starter that you will have shortly! Let me know how it goes! Happy Baking!

      3. Are you only using 15-20g of the fed starter? That’s a lot less than I’ve seen in any other recipe. I’m still new to sourdough and now also new to FMF, so looking to switch my learning immediately to using only FMF. Thank you

        1. This recipe calls for a leaven made the night before. (Which is basically a heavily fed starter) So, you will take that small amount of starter in a new container, and feed it heavily with the recipe instructions. This new heavily fed starter, now ferments overnight and becomes a stronger version of your starter. So, the next day when you go to make the bread, it will all be a heavily fed starter. I hope that makes sense. I have some info on switching a sourdough starter from white flour to FMF here. https://grainsinsmallplaces.net/how-to-feed-sourdough-starter-with-fresh-milled-flour/
          I also have some info on making a FMF sourdough starter from scratch in this video, I make one right along side of you, here. https://youtu.be/lrxGfDPM8Fo

          1. Thank you. Yes I understand this part. I actually followed your starter feeding instructions last night. I was concerned that it only used 15-20g starter with 50g water and FMF. I’m seeing elsewhere in comments that you use 50g starter (which makes more sense to me). Good news is that it did double last night, but isn’t as gurgly on top. It’s my first time using FMF to feed my starter – it seems like a stiff starter with lower hydration.

            What I’m not clear about is, moving on to step 2… how much of that freshly fed starter to actually use in the recipe. Is it really only 15-20 g as listed in the ingredients or was that referring to feeding the starter?

            Step 2 could be interpreted as use all of that now fed starter (maybe except what you need to retain), or use only 15-20g of it.
            “Step 2 – Then, add the leaven you made the night before.”
            That just doesn’t seem like enough starter. Thanks for clarifying.

          2. The night before you make the leaven, so you take the 15-20g of active starter, and mix it with 50g of water and 50g of flour in a separate bowl than your regular starter. That bowl ferments overnight (the leaven). So, in this bowl there should now be 115-120g of starter the next morning. Then, for step two you use that whole bowl (115g-120g of now heavily fed starter) in the recipe. That whole amount is used in the recipe. And you still have your jar of starter in another jar to feed and maintain for future use.

      4. Hi I’m trying to find a recipe that uses fresh milled 100% rye flour, starter, water and salt only. Do you have any recommendations?

        1. I don’t have any with 100% Rye flour, because it doesn’t really develop gluten to get nice stretchy bread. I would make this recipe with 80% hard wheat and 20% Rye to get delicious results. I hope that helps! 😊

  2. You have 475 g. water in recipe but in the recipe you only use 425 g. of water. Am I missing something?

  3. Would a person be able to use any wheat? I have hard red, hard white and spelt.
    Thanks 😊

    1. You could use hard white, or hard red. If you choose to use some spelt, make sure to use a majority of hard wheat also so it can form gluten. Hope that helps!

  4. Can this recipe be baked in a loaf pan? I’m needing a sourdough sandwich loaf. Thanks Kara – love your videos!

      1. Hello! just to clarify, there is only one rise and then shaping and baking? Unlike sourdough bread made with regular flour which has the first rise, shaping, and then the second shorter rise.

        1. Yes, I have found that an overnight ferment, or a long second rise causes them to over ferment. But, it does still get a tiny bit of a second rise with the shaping, then rest and shaping again.

        1. I just normally scoop straight from my starter jar. 1 TBSP of starter will vary for everyone, and even at different times depending on the air bubbles inside. But, typically 30 grams is a good round about answer for 1 TBSP sourdough starter. Hope that helps!

        1. It needs to be fed heavy the night before, that is why I have it separated to make the leaven the night before. If you feed your whole starter heavy the night before, that would work. But, this helps the sourdough starter to gain strength before asking it to rise a loaf of bread. If you have a heavy fed starter, you can use about 1/2 cup 113g. I hope that helps!

  5. I want to attempt to make this loaf, will be my 3rd try for a sourdough recipe, I usually use the ank and have to knead a long time, you dont use a mixer for this right? so how long do you knead by hand in number 3 and number 5 (next morning).
    trying to get all my ducks in a row before I start this lol

    Grace

    1. That is correct, I don’t use a mixer for my sourdough bread. I do the pull and fold method. I don’t really “knead” it. Also, I have found that a long ferment overnight tends to be too long with fresh milled flour. So, I will make the leaven the night before. Then, in the morning, mix up the loaf and bake same day. Fresh milled flour tends to ferment much quicker in my experience, so it gets too sour, and over-ferments if left too long like traditional sourdough loaves made with white processed flour. It may be helpful to watch my in a video to help explain it better. Here is a link to that video: https://youtu.be/a7hM2Ti95Bc

  6. Hi.
    So with this recipe and method, do I understand correctly that you shape your loaf (loaves) and bake right away? No proof in the fridge at all?
    Do you ever proof your loaves upside down like so many other sourdough bread recipes describe? -like in a banneton or other bowl with a linen liner, and then dump them bottom side down onto their parchment right before baking?

    1. Yes, I bake same day, because I find with fresh milled flour that it ferments much quicker. And, an overnight ferment in the fridge gets way too sour. That was one thing that was hard for me to learn, because it is so different than with regular white flour. Fresh milled flour is a whole new ballgame.

      1. Yes! Agreed! It’s a whole new ballgame. I’ve had successful bakes with 50% whole grain, freshly milled & 50% Moore’s Bread flour, but going for ultimate 100%? Mostly strikeouts or foul balls… Lol. We have always eaten it, tho,-good toast! Flavor is fabulous. So. I found your Grains in small places the other day when I was googling for more helpful tips.
        I’m determined. All freshly milled grains was the whole real reason I began my own sourdough journey 3 years ago.

        1. You can do it! Try some of these alternative tips, I think you will find success. It took me a long time to let go of some of the “rules” for making sourdough traditionally with white flour. And, contrary to what I read everywhere else – Fresh milled flour just behaves differently, so we need to follow new rules with it.

  7. I just made your sourdough bread recipe!! It is the best recipe I have followed!! Thank you!! I had not used my sourdough starter too much since I started milling my own grain. I have tried a lot of recipes for sourdough bread with fresh milled wheat, but none of them had a sour taste. I thought that was just how it was once milled wheat was used because the wheat flavor over powered the starter. I had even left loaves in the fridge for an extra day hoping they would get sour. My husband and I are loving this loaf!!
    It really is the best recipe I have ever used in the last 2 years. This will be our go to recipe!

    1. Oh, I am so happy to hear that! It took me so long to get a sourdough loaf made from fresh milled flour right. I had many fails, lol. But, I am incouraged to hear all the people that have found this recipe helpful! Thanks!

  8. 5 stars
    My first loaf last week came out pretty good. Just a little flat but that could be due to the Hawaii summertime weather. Yesterday, I decided to do half hard white and half Kamut because I just like those flavors… bad idea. The dough was completely fine until the Bench Rest phase. Maybe it was the high humidity, but the dough just turned blah… like quicksand. 😞 It didn’t hold up as an artisan bread, ended up baking as a flat bread. Will be trying this recipe again tomorrow.

    1. It could be the humidity, maybe needed a little more flour. I have successfully used about 20% Kamut and 80% hard white with it, but that much Kamut, I think it just isn’t strong enough to hold up with less gluten. Hopefully your next loaf turns out better! But, great thinking in using it as a flatbread.

  9. I am just starting out and only have einkorn, spelt, and soft white wheat berries. Could I use any of those?

    1. Those wheat varieties don’t really develop enough gluten to get the same results. But, you could try Einkorn some people have great success with it for sourdough. I have not tried it with this recipe however.

  10. 5 stars
    I absolutely resonate with your journey into sourdough baking! As a fellow home baker, I understand the desire to create wholesome food without spending years perfecting the art. Your honesty about the “rest of us” is refreshing. Your imperfectly perfect loaf is a testament to the individuality of each sourdough creation. Your experience with losing and reviving your starter highlights the dedication required to cultivate something truly your own. Your fresh milled flour starter, “Bubbles,” is like a cherished member of the family, adding a personal touch to every bake. Your story inspires us to embrace the journey, celebrating successes born from persistence.