Nine-Grain Sourdough Bread is a chewy European style bread. This flour blend is a mix of wheat, rye, oat, spelt, barley, and flax. The crusty chewy loaf has all the old world flavors in one bite!!

Baking has always been rewarding for me and sourdough baking tops it all. Artisan loaves are usually baked in a covered clay or cast iron baker which creates a crusty loaf. Sourdough bread is made by fermenting the dough naturally using occurring lactobacilli and wild yeast. This was the usual form of leavening bread down into the Middle Ages until it was replaced by other products. French Bakers brought sourdough techniques to California during the Gold Rush where it remains large part of the culture today.

The key to a successful sourdough baking day is a mature starter. My starter, pictured below, is over 8 years old. From this jar, I have sent our thousands of packs of starter. Do you want to start your journey into this intriguing world of baking? Buy a mature starter from this link. Sourdough Starter.

No-knead Sourdough Breads are so easy to make. All you need is a bowl and a Danish Dough Whisk. These breads can be mixed together and stretch and folds done while they ferment. My most popular bread recipes is … No-knead White Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread.

You will find many more recipes in the spiral bound 600+ page Around the Family Table Cookbook. There are many, many sourdough recipes in the hard cover spiral bound It’s all About Sourdough. All recipes are sugar-free and label with the correct fuel for the THM way of eating. Cookbooks can be purchased using this link. We have now added more items to our store… Sourdough Starter Kits and more. Buy It Now. Follow my blog, Facebook, and Instagram pages.

Through trial and error I have found that King Arthur Bread flour is the best flour for feeding a starter. The flour is very consistent in quality and performance. It is unbleached which will create a wonderful starter. Bleached flour has had too much of the natural bacteria removed and will not keep a starter well fed.

Let’s feed our starter: First feeding: 1/4 cup water (55 grams), 1/3 cup King Arthur Bread flour (50 grams), 1/3 cup sourdough starter (80 grams). Mix the water, flour, and starter together until the flour is incorporated. Set the container in a warm place so the starter can ferment for 8-12 hours. The starter should be full of bubbles before you feed it again. The starter pictured below is in a pint jar.

After the first feed your starter should look like the picture on the left below. Four hours later your starter will have risen but it is not ready to be fed again. It has some bubbles but still has food to eat. (pictured on the right).

The photo on the left shows what the starter looks like four hours after feeding. It has not fermented or eaten through its food yet. It still needs more fermenting time. On the right shows what the starter should look like when it is ready to use. The surface should be full of bubbles and airy looking. When you feed your starter for this recipe, do not feed it until it looks like the photo on the right.

Second Feed: 1/2 cup water (110 grams), 2/3 cup King Arthur Bread Flour (100 grams), 2/3 cup sourdough starter (160 grams) or all of the first feeding. Mix the water, flour, and starter together. Put into a quart container. Set the container in a warm place so the starter can ferment overnight. I will lay a lid on the jar but I will not seal it. This feeding I do just before I go to bed. In the morning, the starter will have doubled and be very bubbly. Picture on the left, in the evening after it was fed. Picture on the right, the next morning when I want to use it.

There are 2 ways to measure your ingredients when you are baking with sourdough. You can used cups or weigh by grams. I have both ways listed. Just beware that a scooped or packed cup of flour will weigh more than a spooned cup of flour. Fluff the flour with a spoon before measuring into a cup.

My favorite way to mix artisan loaves is with a Danish Dough Whisk. When first mixed the dough will have a shaggy appearance like the photo on the left. After the first set of stretch and folds the dough should smooth like the photo on the right.

Below is a video showing you how I do stretch and folds.

Shaping: stretch your dough in to a rectangle.

Fold both sides into the center, overlapping. Fold the dough in 3rd to make a round ball.

Pull the dough towards you to stretch the surface, turn and repeat 2 more times. Flour a brotform with brown rice flour. Place bread dough into brotform. Allow the dough to ferment for the required time. PIctured below, left just placed in the brotform, right, fully risen and ready to bake.

When the oven is preheated, dump the loaf onto a piece of parchment paper. Place the loaf in the baker. Cover baker with lid. Set the timer for 6 minutes. When the baking time is up, remove the baker from the oven. Score the loaf. Return to the oven to continue baking.

The internal temperature of bread should be 200 degrees when the baking is finished. Remove clay baker from oven. Remove loaf to a wire rack to cool.

With generations of people now used to commercially prepared white bread, whole wheat will seem too dense. Artisan whole wheat bread will have a chewy texture with a finer crumb. It will not be soft and a cake-like texture that so many of our breads are today.

Nine-grain Sourdough Artisan Bread, THM E

• First feed:
• 1/4 cup water (55 grams)
• 1/3 cup King Arthur Bread flour (50 grams)
• 1/3 cup sourdough starter (80 grams)
• Mix the water, flour, and starter together. Set the container in a warm place so the starter can ferment for 8-12 hours. The starter should be full of bubbles before you feed it again.
• Second Feed:
• 1/2 cup water (110 grams)
• 2/3 cup King Arthur Bread Flour (100 grams)
• 2/3 cup sourdough starter (160 grams) — all of the above starter
• Mix the water, flour, and starter together. Set the container in a warm place so the starter can ferment overnight.
• Bread Dough:
• 1 1/2 cups water (330 grams)
• 1 1/3 cups sourdough starter (312 grams)
• 3 cups nine-grain flour (450 grams)
• 4 tablespoons vital wheat gluten (40 grams)
• 1 teaspoons salt (5 grams), you can add more salt but we prefer it with less
• 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
• brown rice flour for dusting the brotform
• Mixing the bread dough: In a 4 quart mixing bowl combine water, starter, nine-grain flour, vital wheat gluten, and yeast together. You will have a rough, sticky dough. Allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes. Add salt to the dough. Mix well. Cover and allow it to rise for 30-45 minutes. Remove lid and gently pick up one side of the dough, fold it in half. Repeat with all four sides of dough. Cover and allow to rise for another hour. Repeat 2 more times for a total of 4 folding times. The timing does not need to be exact on the minute. The dough should have risen before you do the next set of stretch and folds. After each set of stretch and folds the dough should become smooth and stretchy. Use either fermenting methods below.
• Refrigerating ferment:  Allow the dough to ferment for a total of 4 1/2 hours at room temperature.This is counting from the time you mix it. Shaping: stretch your dough in to a rectangle. Fold both sides into the center, overlapping. Fold the dough in 3rd to make a round ball. Pull the dough towards you to stretch the surface, turn and repeat 2 more times. Flour a brotform with brown rice flour. Place bread dough into brotform. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Room temperature ferment: Allow the dough to ferment at room temperature for 6 hours. Counting from the time you mixed it until you shape it to be baked. Shaping: stretch your dough in to a rectangle. Fold both sides into the center, overlapping. Fold the dough in 3rd to make a round ball. Pull the dough towards you to stretch the surface, turn and repeat 2 more times. Flour a brotform with brown rice flour. Place bread dough into brotform. Cover and allow to ferment**.
• Baking: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. When the oven is preheated, dump the loaf onto a piece of parchment paper. Place the loaf in the baker. Cover baker with lid. Set the timer for 6 minutes. When the baking time is up, remove the baker from the oven. Score the loaf. Cover and return the baker to the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the baker lid. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees. Bake for an another 12-15 minutes or until the bread has an internal temp of 200 degrees. Remove clay baker from oven. Remove loaf to a wire rack to cool. 12-14 slices
• **How to test your bread dough to know if it is ready to bake…gently press your finger into the dough. If it slowly springs back to its original shape it is ready to bake. If it springs back too quickly it is under-proofed and needs more rising time. If it doesn’t spring bake at all –it is over-proofed and should be baked as quickly as possible.
• THM approved sourdough items need a 7 hours room temp ferment OR 24 hour fridge ferment. You can combine room and fridge temp, also. 1 hour room temp equals 3.5 hours in the fridge.
• Fermenting tip: Over the winter, when my house is cool, I ferment the starter in my microwave. I let the door open enough so that the light stays on. That little bit of warmth helps the starter to ferment better.

This post has affiliated links, if you purchase items through these links, I receive a few pennies but your price doesnt change.

AMAZON

Instant Yeast Nine-grain Flour

Vital Wheat Gluten  Himalayan Pink Salt

Round Clay Baker  Long Clay Baker

Brotform Danish Dough Whisk

The Trim Healthy Mama Store has wonderful products including Mineral Salt. Here is my affiliate link if you wish to use it. Trim Healthy Mama Store.

Mineral Salt

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Nine-Grain Sourdough Artisan Bread, THM E

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Cook Time 50 minutes

Fermenting time 7 hours

Servings 14 slices

Author Glenda Groff

Ingredients

• First feed:
• 1/4 cup water 55 grams
• 1/3 cup King Arthur Bread flour 50 grams
• 1/3 cup sourdough starter 80 grams
• Mix the water flour, and starter together. Set the container in a warm place so the starter can ferment for 8-12 hours. The starter should be full of bubbles before you feed it again.
• Second Feed:
• 1/2 cup water 110 grams
• 2/3 cup King Arthur Bread Flour 100 grams
• 2/3 cup sourdough starter 160 grams — all of the above starter
• Mix the water flour, and starter together. Set the container in a warm place so the starter can ferment overnight.
• Bread Dough:
• 1 1/2 cups water 330 grams
• 1 1/3 cups sourdough starter 312 grams
• 3 cups nine-grain flour 450 grams
• 4 tablespoons vital wheat gluten 40 grams
• 1 teaspoons salt 5 grams, you can add more salt but we prefer it with less
• 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
• brown rice flour for dusting the brotform

Instructions

1. Mixing the bread dough: In a 4 quart mixing bowl combine water, starter, nine-grain flour, vital wheat gluten, and yeast together. You will have a rough, sticky dough. Allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes. Add salt to the dough. Mix well. Cover and allow it to rise for 30-45 minutes. Remove lid and gently pick up one side of the dough, fold it in half. Repeat with all four sides of dough. Cover and allow to rise for another hour. Repeat 2 more times for a total of 4 folding times. The timing does not need to be exact on the minute. The dough should have risen before you do the next set of stretch and folds. After each set of stretch and folds the dough should become smooth and stretchy. Use either fermenting methods below.
2. Refrigerating ferment:  Allow the dough to ferment for a total of 4 1/2 hours at room temperature.This is counting from the time you mix it. Shaping: stretch your dough in to a rectangle. Fold both sides into the center, overlapping. Fold the dough in 3rd to make a round ball. Pull the dough towards you to stretch the surface, turn and repeat 2 more times. Flour a brotform with brown rice flour. Place bread dough into brotform. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
3. Room temperature ferment: Allow the dough to ferment at room temperature for 6 hours. Counting from the time you mixed it until you shape it to be baked. Shaping: stretch your dough in to a rectangle. Fold both sides into the center, overlapping. Fold the dough in 3rd to make a round ball. Pull the dough towards you to stretch the surface, turn and repeat 2 more times. Flour a brotform with brown rice flour. Place bread dough into brotform. Cover and allow to ferment**.
4. Baking: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. When the oven is preheated, dump the loaf onto a piece of parchment paper. Place the loaf in the baker. Cover baker with lid. Set the timer for 6 minutes. When the baking time is up, remove the baker from the oven. Score the loaf. Cover and return the baker to the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the baker lid. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees. Bake for an another 12-15 minutes or until the bread has an internal temp of 200 degrees. Remove clay baker from oven. Remove loaf to a wire rack to cool. 12-14 slices
5. **How to test your bread dough to know if it is ready to bake…gently press your finger into the dough. If it slowly springs back to its original shape it is ready to bake. If it springs back too quickly it is under-proofed and needs more rising time. If it doesn’t spring bake at all –it is over-proofed and should be baked as quickly as possible.
6. THM approved sourdough items need a 7 hours room temp ferment OR 24 hour fridge ferment. You can combine room and fridge temp, also. 1 hour room temp equals 3.5 hours in the fridge.
7. Fermenting tip: Over the winter, when my house is cool, I ferment the starter in my microwave. I let the door open enough so that the light stays on. That little bit of warmth helps the starter to ferment better.