Are you looking for a good beginner sourdough bread recipe? This whole wheat honey sourdough bread is hearty, delicious, and so easy to bake. It uses a small sprinkle of yeast so that it doesn’t require hours of rising, and it you can make it with minimal ingredients.

It took me a couple of months of experimenting, but I finally created a delicious, fluffy loaf of sourdough bread! This loaf is absolutely rich & tasty, and I’m so excited to be sharing this recipe with you. Today’s recipe is based on my original whole wheat & honey bread recipe I shared here years ago.

I first heard about making your own sourdough starter and sourdough baked goods from my friend Lisa of Farmhouse on Boone. She is so inspiring when it comes to making foods from scratch. I’ve been intrigued by baking sourdough goods for quite some time.

For this whole wheat honey sourdough bread recipe, you will need a sourdough starter. Sourdough starter is a fermented mixture of flour and water that contains wild yeast and lactobacilli. The purpose of the starter is to create a hearty leaven and a rich-tasting bread.

How to Make a Sourdough Starter

You can buy pre-made sourdough starter, but it’s very easy to make your own. I learned how to make one from Farmhouse On Boone, and you can find Lisa’s sourdough starter tutorial right here.

I made my sourdough starter by mixing together 1 cup of filtered water with 1 cup of all purpose flour in a mason jar, covering the jar top with a towel, and letting it sit on my counter by my stove.

Each day for 14 days, I’d remove half of the starter (you can compost it or use it for sourdough pancakes – here’s my favourite recipe), and add another cup of both filtered water and all purpose flour.

 

I saw my sourdough starter start to bubble at around day 4 or 5, and it was definitely bubbly and active by the time day 14 rolled around.

My mature starter is now stored in the fridge, “fed” with one cup each of water and flour every week, and taken out a few hours before I want to use it for baking.

I did bake a couple of breads with sourdough starter only, but I found those to be much too sour tasting for my family. This particular recipe has a sprinkle of yeast to speed up the rise time so that the bread doesn’t taste quite as sour.

How to make whole wheat honey sourdough bread

To make 2 loaves of delicious, moist whole wheat honey sourdough bread, first dissolve 2 tsp of yeast in 3 cups of warm water. Let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes until the yeast is foamy.

NOTE: This bread can be made without the yeast, but the first rise will take anywhere from 4-12 hours and the second rise will take anywhere from 3-6 hours. It will also have a more sour taste, but it’s still delicious. You can experiment with it!

Add 1 cup of active sourdough starter (make sure it’s recently been fed and has been out of the fridge for a few hours), 2/3 cups honey, 2 tsp salt and 2 cups of flour and whisk together.

Using your hands mix in 1 cup of oats or flaxseed (or a combination), and 5 more cups of flour. 

Knead the dough together until it forms a sticky ball. 

If needed, add up to one cup more flour so that the dough comes together in a ball. This dough will feel stickier than your standard white bread dough.

 

Place a damp towel or cling wrap over the bowl, and let the dough rise in a warm area until it’s doubled (about 1 hour). I use my proofing feature in my oven for this.

Once risen, punch down the dough and divide it into two pieces. 

Shape each piece into a loaf shape, and place each piece in greased loaf pans. Let the loaves rise again for about 30 minutes in a warm area.

 

Once the loaves are plump, bake them in an oven at 350F for 30 minutes or until they sound hollow when tapped.

Let the loaves cool for about 30 minutes before slicing and enjoying.

This bread can keep for a few days in a bag at room temperature, or frozen for a few months to enjoy later.

   

I hope you enjoy making this whole wheat honey sourdough recipe! Let me know in the comments below if you try it, and what you think of it. Our whole family loves this bread, and it’s perfect for sandwiches, toasted, or as a side at dinner.

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