Petra Schmidt’s Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread

Make a sourdough starter by mixing whole wheat flour with enough water to make a very thick paste. Cover lightly and allow to sit at room temperature overnight. Every day, for one or two weeks, discard about a third of the mixture and add enough flour and water to bring it back to the same consistency. The mixture will begin to develop bubbles and smell yeasty.

In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, mix the sour dough with 355 ml (1 ½ cups) water and 180 grams (1 ½ cups) whole wheat flour and 180 grams (1 ½ cups) rye flour. Adjust flour and water as needed to make a mixture just thick enough to be able to stir with the spoon.

Cover the bowl with a cloth and let the mixture rise overnight in a warm spot. The next morning take out a little bit of the dough; this is the starter for the next loaf. Add flour and water to make a thick paste, allow to rest until bubbly, then refrigerate until needed. (You may need to “feed” it with flour and water if you plan to store it for more than a week.)

Add a pinch of salt and a drizzle of molasses to the mixture in the bowl. And you can add apricots and almonds. Stir, but not much.

Put this mixture in a bread pan and let it rise for at least three hours.

Bake in the oven for about an hour at about 180°C/350°F until browned and sounding hollow when thumped on the bottom of the loaf.