“Cream of Wheat” Sourdough Sandwich Bread
Recipe and photos by Andrew Janjigian
This sourdough sandwich bread—named after the classic American breakfast cereal—includes a pre-cooked wheat porridge made from sifted whole-wheat flour (not “farina,” or branded Cream of Wheat cereal), which makes it ultra moist and pillowy-soft within. It also makes it stay fresh far longer than many homemade breads. The recipe takes several days to make, but only requires about an hour of actual hands-on time. And it’s flexible, because the shaped loaf can be baked anywhere from 8 to 24 hours after being placed into the fridge (it will get slightly more sour the longer it proofs).
BAKING NOTES: There are a couple of key steps to consider before you begin. Because the initial proof of the dough takes from 12 to 14 hours, it is best to start the recipe either in the evening or very early in the morning. To avoid over-proofing, it is important to shape the loaf within an hour or so after the dough is ripe (i.e., when it is “domed, lightly bubbly and just doubled in volume”). If possible, use a glass bowl for mixing and proofing the dough; this will make knowing when it is ready to be shaped obvious (you will see a fine web of bubbles on the interior of the dough).
For best results, weigh your ingredients on a digital scale; volume measures provided are rounded approximations. You can use mature levain/sourdough starter that has been refreshed within the previous 10 days; since it uses such a small amount, the exact hydration of the levain is not important here. If ambient temperatures are higher than 80°F, reduce the amount of levain to 5 grams (1 teaspoon). The loaf is baked cold, directly from the fridge, starting in a cold pot and a cold oven. While the recipe works best when baked in a heavy, cast-iron Dutch oven, it will work in a lighter-weight pot as well, provided that the lid forms a tight seal.
Makes 1 loaf
60 grams (¹⁄3 cup plus 2 teaspoons) whole-wheat flour
100 grams (¹⁄3 cup plus 1½ tablespoons) boiling water
30 grams (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces
30 grams (1½ tablespoons) honey
165 grams (²⁄3 cup) room-temperature water
15 grams (1 tablespoon) levain
340 grams (2 cups plus 3 tablespoons) bread flour
7 grams (1¼ teaspoons) sea salt
Sift whole-wheat flour through fine-meshed strainer, reserving bran for dusting top of loaf. Place sifted flour and boiling water in medium bowl and stir until uniform. Place butter on top of flour paste, cover bowl with plate and let sit for 20 minutes.
Place about 15 grams (1 tablespoon) water in small bowl and set aside. Add honey, remaining room-temperature water and levain to wheat mixture and stir with wooden spoon or dough whisk until combined. Add flour and stir with wooden spoon or dough whisk until uniform and no dry flour remains. Add salt and reserved water to top of dough. Cover bowl and let sit for 30 minutes.
Using hands, knead, mash, and squeeze dough in bowl until water and salt are fully incorporated and dough is uniform in texture.
Cover bowl well and let ferment at cool room temperature (68 to 75°F) until dough is domed, lightly bubbly and just doubled in volume, 12 to 14 hours. Dust top of dough lightly with flour, loosen from bottom of bowl and invert onto floured countertop. Using flour on hands and top of dough as necessary to prevent sticking, gently press dough into 8-inch circle, then fold edges toward middle to form round. Cover with inverted bowl and let rest for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, grease an 8½- by 4½-inch loaf pan and set aside.
Flour top of dough and surrounding countertop. Using bench scraper, loosen dough from counter and invert. Using flour on hands and top of dough as necessary to prevent sticking, gently press dough into 8-inch circle. Fold lower third of dough toward middle to form rounded triangle. Stretch tips of triangle laterally to elongate long edge of dough to 10 inches. Fold right third of triangle toward left side, forming seam just past centerline; repeat with left side. Fold top third of dough toward center to close. Roll dough toward you into firm cylinder, keeping roll taut by tucking it under itself as you go. Pinch seam closed and roll log over itself so seam is on underside. Gently roll log back and forth under cupped hands until it is about 5 inches long. Place loaf seam side down in prepared pan, pressing dough gently toward corners (dough will not fill pan completely).
Shaping a pan loaf
Cover pan tightly with plastic wrap or enclose in plastic bag and let sit for 30 minutes. Transfer pan to refrigerator and let sit for 8 to 24 hours (loaf will not rise appreciably during this time).
Adjust oven rack to middle position. Using spray bottle or brush, lightly moisten top of loaf with water. Coat top of loaf with reserved bran. Using sharp serrated knife or single-edge razor blade, make one ¼-inch-deep slash lengthwise down center of loaf.
Fold 18- by 13-inch piece of parchment in half lengthwise. Center loaf crosswise on parchment and transfer to large, cold Dutch oven. Cover pot and place in oven. Heat oven to 425°F. Bake bread for 30 minutes (start timer as soon as you turn on oven).
Remove pot from oven and remove lid. Using parchment sling as handles, carefully remove loaf from pot. Set parchment aside, return loaf to oven and continue to bake until loaf is deep brown and registers 200°F, 15 to 20 minutes longer.
Transfer pan to wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove loaf from pan, return to wire rack and let cool completely before slicing and serving, about 2 hours.
This recipe appeared in the Winter 2021 issue as part of a larger story on Sourdough Sandwich Bread.
