Soft-Wheat Sourdough Bread (European-Style, Whole Wheat)

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Soft wheat is what most of Europe bakes with — and this everyday loaf is how to make it shine.

This is my go-to soft-wheat sourdough bread—a whole grain, beginner-friendly loaf built for lower-gluten European flours and home bakers alike. It’s flexible with flour blends, focused on flavor, and delivers reliable gluten development—even with gentler flours.

This loaf is moderate-hydration—just enough water to make a soft, flavorful crumb, without making the dough unpredictable or difficult to shape. High-hydration recipes are best suited to strong, high-gluten flours and experienced bakers. For everyday baking—especially when working with softer wheats, heritage grains, or freshly milled flour—this more moderate dough strikes a better balance.

A round loaf of soft wheat sourdough bread, scored with a cross pattern and made with freshly milled whole wheat, is resting on parchment paper inside a light blue enameled cast iron pot.
This loaf here was scored with a cross pattern—feel free to make scoring your own!
A round loaf of soft wheat sourdough bread, scored with a cross pattern and made with freshly milled whole wheat, is resting on parchment paper inside a light blue enameled cast iron pot.
This loaf here was scored with a cross pattern—feel free to make scoring your own!

This dough won’t give you the airy, holey crumb you see on social media. But it will give you:

  • Great, mild flavor from same-day fermentation
  • A tender, even crumb with just enough chew
  • A dough that’s manageable, flexible, and reliable

It’s the kind of loaf that’s easy to build a habit around—nourishing, no-fuss, and satisfying to make.

New to baking with soft wheat?
This guide walks you through what to expect—and how to make the most of this beautiful, lower-gluten flour. Read the full guide →

Wonder how to bake bread with freshly milled flour?

Learn more about the unique quirks of using fresh flour and how it affects your baking, including (sourdough) bread baking and hydration advice. Read the full guide →

Why Soft Wheat? (And Why It Works for Sourdough Bread)

For us in Europe, soft wheat is just wheat—it’s what we use for everything. It’s the go-to flour for tender, chewy bread with a manageable, forgiving dough. No need for high-gluten flour to get a perfect loaf. Soft wheat makes bread that’s dependable and satisfying, with a lovely crumb. It’s especially great if you’re trying to bake easy sourdough bread without strong bread flour.

High hydration bread flour loaves can be beautiful, but they’re also fussier to handle and more prone to collapse. Of course, you can get a big, airy high hydration loaf with soft wheat, too, but you’d need to go the whole nine yards, with all the finicky techniques, which is really more suited for hobbyists. For everyday bakers, trying to make that high-hydration, lofty loaf with soft wheat is like chasing a unicorn with a butter knife on a rainy Thursday morning—possible, but not really worth the headache.

Consider this: outside North America, most people don’t even have access to high-gluten bread flour. And yet, countries like France and Germany are legendary for their bread. What are they baking with? You guessed it—soft wheat. It may not win you any Influencer fame, but it will win at breakfast.

So, don’t let the gluten hype get to you. Soft wheat is a solid, reliable choice for bread. It’s just not interested in getting likes.

A round loaf of soft wheat sourdough bread, scored with a cross pattern and made with freshly milled whole wheat, is resting on parchment paper inside a light blue enameled cast iron pot.
A round loaf of soft wheat sourdough bread, scored with a cross pattern and made with freshly milled whole wheat, is resting on parchment paper inside a light blue enameled cast iron pot.

Tools You May Need

Large mixing bowl: Essential if you’re baking by hand

Danish dough whisk (optional): For mess free mixing when baking by hand

Stand mixer (optional): It will develop the gluten most efficiently and it’s hands free.

Grain mill (optional): Fresh milled flour brings the best flavor to the table but you can still bake great bread without it.

Banneton basket (optional): You could also use a medium-large bowl lined with a clean tea towel.

Dutch oven (optional): A dutch oven is the easiest way to get a consistently great crumb in any oven.

What Flours Work for This Bread? (Freshly-Milled & Store-Bought Options)

This recipe is built for whole grain soft wheat flour—freshly milled or store-bought. But what flours can you actually use? Here are your best options:

  • Freshly Milled Soft Wheat Flour
    If you have access to a grain mill, milling your own soft wheat gives you the freshest, most flavorful flour. In Europe, it will typically be labeled simply as “wheat.” You can also experiment by blending in spelt or kamut (up to 50%), or rye (up to 15%) for added flavor.
  • Whole Wheat Flour
    Look for 100% whole wheat, ideally made from soft wheat. In Europe, whole wheat flour is commonly made from soft wheat. In other regions, soft wheat whole wheat flour may be harder to find. If that’s the case, a Whole Wheat Pastry Flour with at least 10% protein is the closest match.

Note: Depending on your flour, you may need to adjust the hydration a little. Different flours absorb water at different rates, so feel free to add small amounts (think teaspoons) of water if the dough feels too dry or a little more flour if it’s too sticky.

Baking Timeline: From Soft Wheat Flour to Sourdough Bread

Feed your starter the night before so it’s active and bubbly in the morning.

08:00 AM

Mill your grains and mix all ingredients into a shaggy dough.

08:30 AM

Knead the dough and bulk ferment at room temperature (or perform stretch and folds for the following 90 minutes).

04:30 PM

Shape the dough and place in a banneton. Proof at room temperature for 30–60 minutes—up to 90 minutes if your kitchen is cool or your starter is slow. Or refrigerate overnight (up to 12 hours) for even better flavor and easier scoring.

05:30 PM

Preheat oven with a dutch oven inside.

06:00 PM

Score your bread and transfer it to the hot dutch oven. Close the lid and bake.

06:20 PM

Take off the lid and keep baking.

06:40 PM

Remove the finished bread from the dutch oven and let cool.

How to Make This Soft Wheat Sourdough Bread (Step-by-Step)

This whole grain sourdough recipe was developed specifically for soft wheat flour, including freshly milled or store-bought options.

From flour to loaf, in seven steps:

01

mix & autolyse
Freshly milled flour is falling from the spout of a wooden home grain mill into a ceramic bowl underneath.

If using freshly milled flour, grind your wheat berries on the finest setting.
In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), combine flour, water, salt and starter.

closeup of pre mixed, shaggy dough, clinging to a paddle attachment

Mix until no dry bits remain. The dough will be shaggy—that’s fine.

Cover and rest for 30–60 minutes to autolyse (this helps the flour absorb the water and begin gluten development).

02

knead

Choose one path—stand mixer or by hand:

closeup of kneaded sourdough bread dough in a cream ceramic bowl on a wooden counter
stand mixer

Switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed for 5–10 minutes, until smooth and stretchy. It should pass the windowpane test. If the bowl of your stand mixer is very large, transfer the dough to a smaller bowl. That way it’s easier to tell when it has doubled.
→ You can skip the stretch and folds.

by hand

Knead gently for 5–10 minutes until the dough comes together. It doesn’t need to be perfectly smooth—just cohesive and no longer sticky.
→ Rest for 30 minutes, then continue with stretch and folds below.

03

Stretch & Folds (hand-kneading only)
closeup of sourdough bread dough in a cream ceramic bowl. one hand is pulling out a section of the dough upwards, performing stretch and folds
closeup of one hand folding a sourdough bread dough over on itself in a white ceramic bowl on a wooden counter

Wet your hands. Grab one side of the dough, stretch it up gently, and fold it over itself. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat at least 3 more times, or until you feel tension increasing.
Let rest 20–30 minutes.
Repeat for 2–3 total sets, letting the dough rest between rounds.
After the final stretch and fold, cover and bulk ferment.

04

bulk ferment
closeup of sourdough bread dough that has completed bulk fermentation. it's domed, puffy and bubbles are visible beneath the surface

Let the dough rise at room temperature (ideally 21–24°C / 70–75°F) for 5–7 hours. You’re looking for:

  • A dough that’s roughly doubled in size
  • Puffy, domed top
  • Some visible bubbles near the surface

Don’t overproof—it should still have some structure and feel soft and puffy.

05

Shape
A hand reaching into a bowl of sourdough bread dough

Lightly flour a banneton (or a medium bowl lined with a clean tea towel). Flour the counter and the dough’s top.

Wet your hands and gently release the dough from the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out, smooth side down.

Soft wheat forms a weaker gluten network, so it goes from underfermented to overfermented more quickly. If you’re unsure or facing over-proofing issues, I’ve got more tips on fermentation and troubleshooting in my full guide.

A person is stretching out a piece of sourdough bread dough on a wooden kitchen counter
a person it folding bread dough in on itself
sourdough bread dough being folded like a letter

Shape into a rectangle. Fold the top third down, bottom third up, then fold the sides in towards the middle.

A person is shaping a ball of dough
Soft Wheat sourdough bread dough resting in a lined banneton, seam side up, on a wooden kitchen counter

Flip seam side down. Cup your hands around the dough and gently pull it toward you to build surface tension. Turn and repeat until taut.
Place into your prepared banneton, seam side up.

06

proof
banneton wrapped in a clear plastic bag

Cover the dough (a clean plastic bag or shower cap works well). Make sure the bag doesn’t touch the dough. Let it rest:

At room temp for 30–60 minutes (up to 90 if your kitchen is cool), or

In the fridge for up to 12 hours.

Cold proofing helps the dough hold its shape and improves flavor.
For a long cold proof, shape the dough before it has fully doubled in size, to avoid over proofing. In my experience, freshly milled flour keeps fermenting in the fridge a lot longer, so I try to keep cold proofing times to below 2 hours for a fully doubled dough.

Note: Proofing times can vary depending on your starter’s strength and the type of flour you’re using.

07

Score & Bake
a ball of bread dough on a lightly floured wooden chopping board, being scored with a wheat stalk decoration
a hand holding a sharp bakers knife making a deep expansion slash on the side of a round ball of sourdough bread dough
Scored bread dough being transferred from a wooden chopping board to the preheated cast iron base of a bread cloche.

Note: For baking in a bread cloche, I prefer inverting the dough right into the hot pan and giving it a really quick score. Everything will be piping hot, so be very careful. Feel free to use a well floured wooden board instead and slide the dough in, or use good old parchment paper if you’re baking in a regular dutch oven.

Preheat your oven to 250°C (480–500°F) with a Dutch oven inside. Let it heat for at least 30 minutes.

Turn your dough out onto baking paper. Score it with a sharp blade at a 45° angle. You can add decorative scoring too if you like. Carefully lift the dough into the hot Dutch oven.

  • Bake covered for 20 minutes at 210°C (410–420°F)
  • Uncover and bake another 20 minutes, until golden and crisp

The bread should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.

A round loaf of soft wheat sourdough bread, scored with a wheat stalk pattern and made with freshly milled whole wheat, is resting on parchment paper inside a light blue enameled cast iron pot.
A round loaf of soft wheat sourdough bread, scored with a wheat stalk pattern and made with freshly milled whole wheat, is resting on parchment paper inside a light blue enameled cast iron pot.

Variations

This dough is simple and flexible—here’s how you can make it your own:

  • Using up sourdough discard: Add up to 50g cold discard to the dough. If you add more, reduce the flour and water by equal parts.
  • Enriched loaf: My favorite addition is 50g of butter and 1 tbsp of honey for extra moisture and softness. Reduce the water by 25g to balance and keep the dough manageable.
  • Flavored liquids: Swap some or all of the water for milk, whey, apple or carrot juice, or the strained liquid from making pumpkin puree for subtle flavor changes. This might increase fermentation, so keep an eye on your dough.

How to Serve Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread

This isn’t your high-hydration, holey Instagram loaf—and that’s a good thing. A tighter crumb comes with its own set of advantages:

  • No lost fillings: Perfect for grilled cheese or PB&J—nothing seeps through!
  • Sturdy sandwiches: Holds up to spreads, pickles, and all the layers.
  • Infamous Classic German breakfast: Soft wheat is right at home with butter, deli meats, cheeses, and at least three kinds of jams, honey and nutella.
Closeup of sliced soft wheat sourdough bread in a bread basket lined with a feminine, floral tea towel, showing a tender and even whole wheat crumb.
Closeup of sliced soft wheat sourdough bread in a bread basket lined with a feminine, floral tea towel, showing a tender and even whole wheat crumb.

How to Store & Freeze Soft Wheat Sourdough Bread

This is a bit of a debated subject. What works best depends on your climate.

Storing bread
  • Mold-prone kitchens: Let your bread breathe—paper bags or a bread box work well.
  • Dry or cold kitchens: Use a large ziplock bag or airtight container to keep bread soft.
  • My tip? A clean wet bag (yes, like for cloth diapers!) is weirdly perfect for bread—reusable, washable and just the right amount of breathable.
Freezing bread
  • Whole loaf: Let cool completely, wrap tightly in a freezer bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight at room temperature (on a plate or paper towel to catch condensation).
  • Sliced: Slice before freezing and layer parchment between slices. Reheat individual slices in the toaster as needed—no thawing required.

FAQs About Soft Wheat Sourdough Bread

Yes! This recipe works well with both. Freshly milled flour gives you more aroma and flavor, but high-quality whole wheat flour from the store will still give you a lovely, structured loaf. I’ve made some suggestions here.

Look for dough that has doubled in size and feels light and puffy. If it’s spread completely flat or looks too bubbly or slack, it may be overproofed—try shortening your next bulk ferment a bit.

Yes! Though a dutch oven gives the best results, a preheated pizza stone or baking steel (or at least a large cookie sheet) also work well. Just be sure to add steam to your oven (like a tray of boiling water on the bottom rack) for the first part of baking to help with oven spring.

No, this is intentionally a moderate-hydration dough at 75%. Higher hydration breads can be more difficult to shape and often require strong flour to support the extra water. This hydration is more beginner- and soft wheat–friendly.

Absolutely. It bakes up beautifully in a loaf pan. Just be sure to grease your pan and give the dough a little longer final proof—look for it to crest just over the rim.

Soft wheat just doesn’t behave like hard wheat. You’ll naturally get a denser, more even crumb—which also means fewer leaks for jam or cheese! If you’re after a more open crumb, try blending in some stronger flour if you have access, or add about 25g of vital wheat gluten to boost structure. You can also increase hydration, but that makes the dough trickier to handle and shape—better suited to confident or more advanced bakers.


I’d love to hear how it turned out. Tell me how your loaf turned out—or share what flours and add-ins you used!

P.S. Ratings and shares help others find this recipe too, and your feedback helps me keep these guides and recipes useful!


Soft-Wheat Sourdough Bread (European-Style, Whole Grain)

An easy, forgiving sourdough bread recipe using soft wheat flour. European-style, whole grain, and perfect for everyday baking.
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A round loaf of soft wheat sourdough bread, scored with a cross pattern and made with freshly milled whole wheat, is resting on parchment paper inside a light blue enameled cast iron pot.
5 from 4 votes
Prep Time:45 minutes
Cook Time:40 minutes
Fermentation and Proofing Time:9 hours
Servings:14 slices
Calories:128kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
  • 500 g fresh-milled soft wheat flour, or store-bought whole wheat flour (see Notes) - (100%)
  • 375 g water - (75%)
  • 10 g salt - (2%)
  • 90 g sourdough starter, active and bubbly - (18%)
Instructions

mix & autolyse

  • If using freshly milled flour, grind your wheat berries on the finest setting.
  • In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), combine flour, water, salt and starter. Mix until no dry bits remain. The dough will be shaggy—that’s fine. Cover and rest for 30–60 minutes to autolyse (this helps the flour absorb the water and begin gluten development).

knead (Choose one path—stand mixer or by hand)

  • Stand mixer: Switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed for 5–10 minutes, until smooth and stretchy. It should pass the windowpane test. If the bowl of your stand mixer is very large, transfer the dough to a smaller bowl. That way it’s easier to tell when it has doubled. You can skip the stretch and folds.
  • By hand: Knead gently for 5–10 minutes until the dough comes together. It doesn’t need to be perfectly smooth—just cohesive and no longer sticky. Rest for 30 minutes, then continue with stretch and folds below.

Stretch & Folds (hand-kneading only)

  • Wet your hands. Grab one side of the dough, stretch it up gently, and fold it over itself. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat at least 3 more times, or until you feel tension increasing. Let rest 20–30 minutes. Repeat for 2–3 total sets, letting the dough rest between rounds. After the final stretch and fold, cover and bulk ferment.

bulk ferment

  • Let the dough rise at room temperature (ideally 21–24°C / 70–75°F) for 5–7 hours.

Shape

  • Lightly flour a banneton (or a medium bowl lined with a clean towel). Flour the counter and the dough’s top. Wet your hands and gently release the dough from the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out, smooth side down. Shape into a rectangle. Fold the top third down, bottom third up, then fold the sides in like an envelope.
  • Flip seam side down. Cup your hands around the dough and gently pull it toward you to build surface tension. Turn and repeat until taut. Place into your prepared banneton, seam side up.

proof

  • Cover the dough (a clean plastic bag or shower cap works well). Make sure the bag doesn’t touch the dough. Let it rest at room temp for 30–60 minutes (up to 90 if your kitchen is cool), or in the fridge for up to 12 hours.

Score & Bake

  • Preheat your oven to 250°C (480–500°F) with a Dutch oven inside. Let it heat for at least 30 minutes. Turn your dough out onto baking paper. Score it with a sharp blade at a 45° angle. You can add decorative scoring too if you like. Carefully lift the dough into the hot Dutch oven. Bake covered for 20 minutes at 210°C (410–420°F). Uncover and bake another 20 minutes, until golden and crisp. The bread should sound hollow when tapped. Cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.
Notes
Flour Notes:
This recipe is built for whole grain soft wheat flour—freshly milled or store-bought. In Europe, it’s often labeled simply as “wheat.” You can also blend in spelt or kamut (up to 50%), or rye (up to 15%) for added flavor.
No mill? Look for 100% whole wheat flour, ideally made from soft wheat. If unavailable, white whole wheat is a decent substitute—though texture and flavor will vary slightly.
Hydration Tip:
Flours absorb water differently. If the dough feels too dry, add water in teaspoons. Too sticky? Add a touch more flour.
Bulk Fermentation:
Ready when the dough is puffy, roughly doubled, and shows small bubbles. Don’t overproof—it should still feel structured and soft.
Final Proof:
Timing depends on flour and starter strength. Cold proofing helps with shaping and flavor—especially for soft wheat or fresh flour.
Author: Sarah | Grains & Greens Kitchen
Calories: 128kcal
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it turned out!




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17 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Finally, a recipe that makes sense of making sourdough in Europe! I baked sourdough for several years in the States, and it usually turned out great, looking like all the Instagram artisan loaves one sees. When I moved to Germany last year, every attempt ended in failure/tears/sticky messes. I just couldn’t figure out how to manage my bread dough, even after reading other bloggers’ recommendations to add vital wheat gluten to give it more strength and structure. Those were equally bad.

    I’ve now made two loaves using your method. The first I made exactly as written in your recipe. For the second, I kneaded in a lot of mixed seeds (I also replaced some of the whole wheat flour with Dinkle/spelt). They both rose beautifully, had a tender and lovely crumb, and tasted delicious. I’m currently on my third loaf, using yet again a different combo of flours and seeds, and can’t wait to see how this one turns out. I’m optimistic — your base recipe is that good.

    Thank you so much for your brilliant explanation, recipe, and method!

    1. This! I never baked in the US but watched all the sourdough videos and mine never looked like them! I thought I did something wrong and tried and failed every single time. With this (and once I figured out bulk fermentation), I got consistently great loaves. I have tried any combination with Einkorn, Kamut and spelt or even a combination with these and wheat. They all worked. I only had to add flour when I tried it with Emmer because the dough was just too wet….

      1. It’s just MAD how much of a difference your flour makes, even if it’s all technically “wheat”!
        Especially when hard wheat refers to completely different things, depending of where you are in the world 😅

    2. Gale, thank you so much for taking the time and letting me know this worked for you!!
      I know exactly how you feel, I tried to make Instagram-style sourdough and it was a sticky, disappointing mess 😅 I thought it was me, until I realized that there are more varieties of wheat in the States. There’s also a chart on several blogs, that “converts” American flours to German flour types, and it’s way off! No matter how you mill soft wheat, it won’t magically turn into bread flour 😅
      I’m so happy you enjoy baking bread again 🙂

  2. Not sure what I am doing wrong. Third time making it . Keep getting really dense, gummy, uncooked inside ?
    Using sprouted soft white, spelt, kamut. My stretch and folds are really taut. Doesn’t get past this stage . My starter is happy and normally produces nice bread with fresh milled bread – 60/40 spelt /hww. Any thoughts ??

    1. Hi Karen!
      Sorry to hear you’ve been having difficulties with my recipe!
      Have you baked with sprouted soft wheat before? From what I can tell, sprouting changes the map a little in terms of hydration and enzyme activity.
      Stretch and folds that are really taut sound like hydration is off, so I’d try adding more water next time.
      A gummy, uncooked inside is most commonly a sign of underfermentation.
      If you took photos of your crumb, you can send them over. Maybe we can work this out together!

      1. Thanks so much! I will send pictures. I have not worked with sprouted much – so that very well may be it.

  3. 5 stars
    You recently commented on one of my posts in the fresh milled sourdough facebook group, but I cannot for the life of me find your comment! I was struggling and you offered this recipe as an alternative to try. I LOVE it! It’s literally the first FMF loaf I’ve made successfully, and two days in a row!! I have a 9×5 loaf pan dutch oven, so I use an oval banneton to proof, then drop it in my preheated dutch oven and it’s just beautiful! I’m so excited! And the flavor is AMAZING! I honestly like it much better than with hard red or hard white wheat! I had NO idea you could use soft wheat in bread! I use my Zacme mixer to get it to windowpane and it takes about 13 minutes, but it rises beautifully. Yesterday I followed the recipe exactly, and I felt the dough was too soupy. Today I added 10 gr more of flour, and it was perfect! Thank you for sharing this! I now have my new favorite recipe! One question though, since we’re a family of 6, we go through this loaf very quickly, and I’d like to double the recipe. Does anything need to change or do I just mix double of everything and it still comes together the same? Then separate it out after the bulk ferment? I was also thinking maybe since I only have one dutch oven, and don’t want the other to overproof, I could bake one the same day, and put the other in the fridge for longer ferment, and bake fresh the next morning. I followed your timeline exactly, because it just worked for me, so it would be in the fridge a little longer than 12 hrs. I don’t get up and bake at 4:30am, haha. Is that ok? Usually it’s about 8am before I get going. Thank you again!

    1. Hi Laura,
      I remember and I’m so happy this worked for you!!
      Soft wheat is seriously underrepresented, I’m always happy when someone gives it a shot 🙂

      You can scale the recipe without adjustments and divide the dough after bulk, no problem.
      As for baking two loafs, I can see this going two ways.
      I haven’t baked with a loaf pan dutch oven before, but if you can remove the bread from that kind of pan right away, I’d just chain bake two loafs in a row: When you remove the lid for the second part of the bake, keep it in the oven so it stays hot. Remove the finished bread from the hot dutch oven, drop in the second one, put on the lid and just keep baking. Keep the second banneton in the fridge while you bake the first loaf.
      I line my regular loaf pans with baking paper along the long side, so I have a “sling” to lift out the bread (like this). Maybe that would work with your dutch oven as well?

      Or, if you want to keep one banneton in the fridge longer, I’d shape the dough earlier, before it has doubled. Shape both loafs, put one in the fridge and let the other proof at room temperature. In my experience, the fridge is way less effective in stopping fermentation in fresh flour doughs, so it may need a little bit of trial and error to find the right timing. Whenever I put a fully doubled dough in the fridge, it over proofs in just a few hours.

      I hope that helps!
      Let me know how it goes! 🙂

  4. Will this recipe work with Sunrise Heritage flours? I cannot mill my own flour, so maybe their flour is close to it? Thanks!

  5. 5 stars
    My family grows soft-white-wheat in eastern Washington state. I have been searching for this recipe for a while now. God bless you. I have a Diamante mill, and all the tools I need, but could not find a recipe with the right hydration and autolyze. This is perfect. I’m going to try all your recipes for soft-white now.