Durum Whole Wheat with Yogurt and Whey Sourdough

Made with fresh-milled durum, Butlers Gold WW, homemade Greek yogurt, and the whey from the yogurt in place of water.

My wife had just made some fresh Greek yogurt in the Instant Pot, and I figured it couldn’t hurt to use some of it along with the whey that normally would have been tossed out.

Overall, the crumb was nice and moist, and the fresh milled durum and whole wheat flavors shone through. This made amazing grilled bread topped with some fresh cheese.

This bake had 76 % fresh milled flour, milled with my Mockmill 200. I sifted once with a #30 drum sieve and re-milled at the finest setting for the Butler’s Gold WW from Barton Springs Mill, and I sifted the durum with a #30, re-milled, and sifted again with a #40.

I used my Ankarsrum to mix up the dough and open-baked it on a baking stone with steam.

Formula

Levain Directions 

Mix all the levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap.

Let it sit at room temperature for around 6-7 hours or until the starter has almost doubled. Either use in the main dough immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day before using.

 Main Dough Procedure

Note: I use an Ankarsrum Mixer, so my mixing order is slightly different from that of a KitchenAid or other mixer. Add all the whey or water to your mixing bowl except for about 1/4 of the water. Add all the flour to the bowl and mix on low for 1 minute, until it forms a shaggy mass. Cover the mixing bowl and let it rest for 20 minutes.   Next, add the levain, salt, yogurt, olive oil, and the remaining water (as needed), and mix on medium-low speed (about speed 4) for around 12 minutes, until you have a nicely developed, smooth dough. You should end up with a pretty smooth and silky dough.

Remove the dough from the bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl, and do several stretch and folds.  Make sure the dough is as flat as possible in your bowl/container, and measure the dough in millimeters and take the temperature of the dough. Based on the chart from http://www.thesourdoughjourney.com, determine what % rise you need and make a note. If you have a proofer, decide what temperature you want to set it at and what rise you are aiming for. If the dough is fully developed, you don’t need to do any stretch and folds, but if it’s not, do several sets 15-20 minutes apart.

Once the dough reaches the desired bulk rise, pre-shape and let rest for 15-20 minutes. Finish shaping and place in your banneton, bowl, or on your sheet pan, and cover it so it is pretty airtight (note: I just read a post that suggests it is not necessary to cover the dough when refrigerating it. I have not tried this yet, but that is the way most professional bakeries do it, and they do have dedicated retarders for dough).

When you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 540°F an hour beforehand and prepare for steam. Let your dough sit at room temperature while the oven is warming up. When ready to bake, score as desired. Prepare your oven for steam. I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone above the pan and one on the top shelf.  I pour 1 cup of boiling water into the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.  I then lower the temperature of the oven to 450°F for a miche or 455°F for smaller individual loaves. Bake until they are nice and brown and the internal temperature is at least 205 – 210°F.

Take the bread(s) out of the oven when done and let them cool on a baker’s rack for as long as you can resist. 

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