How to Make Sourdough Bread with Freshly Milled Flour
Homemade whole wheat sourdough bread made with freshly milled flour is delicious and packed with nutrition. One bite of fresh, warm whole wheat sourdough, and you’ll never want store-bought bread again!

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.
Freshly milled flour is packed with nutrients and flavor. It hasn’t been stripped of its healthy parts like store-bought flour. It’s the way people used to bake for thousands of years — using fresh flour straight from the grain mill.
Not only is sourdough bread delicious, but it’s also better for your health. The natural fermentation process makes it easier to digest. Plus, freshly milled flour gives you all the vitamins and minerals the grain has to offer.
If you’ve never made sourdough bread before, don’t worry! I will walk you through it step-by-step. I’ll show you how to mix, knead, proof, and bake a loaf that’s soft on the inside and crispy on the outside.
Before I started making sourdough regularly, the idea felt intimidating. Now it’s a simple weekly habit that fits naturally into my routine.

A Little History of Flour
For thousands of years, people milled their own flour using simple stone mills. Grains like wheat were ground between large stones, producing a fresh, whole-grain flour packed with natural oils, vitamins, and minerals.
Since the flour contained every part of the wheat berry — the bran, germ, and endosperm — it was full of nutrition. But there was one problem: fresh flour spoils quickly. The natural oils in the bran and germ turn rancid if the flour isn’t used within a few days.
To solve this problem, large milling companies discovered that if they removed the bran and germ from the wheat, only the starchy endosperm remained. This “white flour” had a much longer shelf life. It could be stored and shipped without spoiling, making it a highly profitable product. The bran and germ were then sold to farmers as animal feed, creating a second stream of revenue for milling companies.
With the rise of large steel roller mills, this process became even faster and more efficient. These mills produced massive quantities of white flour for grocery stores and bakeries. White flour became a staple in homes across the world.
However, without the nutrient-rich bran and germ, people started to experience health problems caused by nutrient deficiencies. Diseases like beriberi and pellagra — linked to a lack of essential B vitamins — became more common. To combat this, the government began requiring flour producers to add synthetic vitamins and minerals back into the flour. This “enriched flour” became the norm, but synthetic vitamins are not the same as the natural ones found in whole grains.
The good news? You can reclaim the nutrition of traditional flour by milling your own flour at home. When you mill fresh flour, you get all the vitamins, minerals, and healthy oils found in the whole wheat berry. You don’t have to worry about it spoiling because you can mill only the flour you need, right before baking.
Why Use Freshly Milled Flour for Sourdough Bread?
Once you start using freshly milled flour to make homemade sourdough bread, you won’t want to go back to using all-purpose flour. Here’s why:
More Nutrients — As I explained above, store-bought flour loses nutrients during processing. Freshly milled flour keeps all the vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Your bread is much more nutritious!
Better Flavor — Fresh flour has a rich, nutty taste that you can’t beat! It gives your bread a fresh-from-the-earth flavor you can’t get from the store.
No Additives — Packaged flour often has preservatives or stabilizers. Freshly milled flour is pure, whole grain goodness, just the way it was intended.
Healthier for Your Gut — The natural oils and enzymes in fresh flour support better digestion, especially when combined with sourdough fermentation.
Fresher is Always Better — Just like fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh flour makes a difference. It’s alive with flavor and nutrition.
Ingredients for 100% Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread
Whole Wheat Flour– I like to use hard white wheat berries from Azure Standard. Read here about how I source a lot of my food from Azure Standard and save lots of money by doing so. If you don’t own a grain mill yet, you can use whole wheat flour. I also mix in some einkorn, spelt, or kamut wheat berries for ancient grain nutrition.
Water– Make sure you use filtered or distilled water. This is very important because the chlorine and other chemicals found in tap water might inhibit the growth of natural yeast and bacteria in your sourdough.
Active sourdough starter– Fed about 4-12 hours beforehand. It should be active and bubbly.
Salt – I prefer sea salt.
Tools You May Need
Grain Mill- I use this Mockmill Lino 100. This KoMo Fidibus Classic Grain Mill is also a great choice!
Banneton baskets (optional)
Tea Towel (optional)
Bread Knife (optional)
How to Make a Whole Wheat Sourdough Boule
Making sourdough bread might seem tricky, but it’s easier than you think. Follow these simple steps, and you’ll have a fresh, homemade boule ready to enjoy.
Feed a sourdough starter 4-12 hours before starting the bread. It needs to be active and bubbly. Read here about how I make my own sourdough starter from scratch using einkorn flour.


Weigh 475 grams of wheat berries and grind them in your flour mill. I like to use 400 grams of hard white wheat berries and 75 grams of einkorn, spelt, or kamut. I grind mine on the finest setting. This is a “1” on the Mockmill Lino 100 that I use. If you don’t own a grain mill yet, you can use whole wheat flour.


In a large mixing bowl, combine the 325 grams of filtered water, 100 grams of active starter, 10 grams salt and milled flour. Mix with your hands for a few minutes. I get my hands wet before doing this so the dough doesn’t stick to them as much.


Cover with a damp tea towel (any small kitchen towel will work fine) and allow the dough to rest for one hour so the water can hydrate the flour. This process is called autolyse, where the flour becomes fully hydrated.


If your dough is too sticky, you can add a bit more flour. However, if you weigh out 475 grams of wheat berries and measure the other ingredients as stated in this recipe, you shouldn’t have to adjust anything. I have never needed to add additional flour.
Stretch and Fold
Now it is time to knead the dough by using the stretch and fold method. This is where you stretch the dough up on one side as far as you can without the dough separating, and fold it over the rest of the dough. Then, turn the bowl about a quarter around and repeat the process. Do this 4 times, gently forming the dough back into a ball shape after each stretch and fold. This is considered one “stretch and fold” round. Put the dough back into the bowl and cover again with the damp tea towel.


Wait about 20 minutes and repeat another stretch and fold round. I try to do about 4 stretch and fold rounds every 20 minutes, but if you only do a couple, it will still work.
Bulk Fermentation (The Big Rise)
After your final stretch and fold, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the the dough rise in a warm spot until it’s doubled in size. This usually takes my dough about 8 hours. It will rise faster in a warm environment. This takes much less time in the summer and longer in the winter. Sometimes I set my dough near the fireplace in the winter time to speed up the process. You can also set it next to your stove while you cook other things. Just make sure it’s not too hot. You don’t want your bread to start baking!

Shape and Refrigerate Overnight
Shape the dough into a ball using your hands. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Lightly flour a tea towel lined banneton basket or bowl and gently transfer the dough.
Cover with plastic and proof for 12-14 hours in the refrigerator. I like to put my banneton basket in a large zip-lock bag and seal it.
You can store the dough in the refrigerator overnight, or for up to a week before baking.
I don’t usually decorate my bread with pretty designs, but proofing in the refrigerator overnight makes scoring the bread a lot easier!
Don’t worry if the bread doesn’t look like it’s risen after being in the refrigerator overnight, it will still puff up during baking.
Bake the Bread
Preheat your oven to 450°F (232°C).
Place a Dutch oven into your oven and let it heat up for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, remove the dough from the fridge and place on parchment paper. This is when you can score your bread with a lame or razor if you want. I personally don’t do this.
Gently place the parchment paper and dough into the Dutch oven. Trim the parchment paper so that there is none hanging out of the Dutch oven because it could burn.
Bake for 20 minutes with the lid on, and another 10 minutes with the lid off.

Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing it. We love using this knife for slicing our bread!

Tips for Success
- Be patient with the bulk fermentation process. It can take awhile to rise, especially if the temperature in your house is cool. To speed it up, place it by a warm oven or in front of a fireplace.
- Storing the dough overnight in the fridge slows fermentation and improves flavor!
- Make sure you preheat your oven BEFORE preheating your Dutch oven. You need to place your Dutch oven into a already hot oven and then let it preheat as well.
- Make sure you let your bread cool for at least 30 minutes after baking. Slicing it too soon can ruin the texture inside.
- This bread will not fluff up like sourdough bread made with all-purpose flour. It will look and taste different and that’s ok!
Recipe FAQ’s
No, but freshly milled flour is best for nutrition and flavor. If you don’t have a grain mill, you can use whole wheat flour.
Hard red wheat and hard white wheat are great choices for bread. Hard red wheat gives a more robust flavor, while hard white wheat produces a lighter, sweeter boule. I also like adding in some spelt, einkorn, or kamut for ancient grain nutrition.
If your dough is too sticky, add a small amount of flour (1 tablespoon at a time) until it’s easier to handle.
Your starter is ready when it’s bubbly, has doubled in size after feeding, and has a pleasant tangy smell.
If your dough has doubled in size and has some bubbles on the surface, it’s ready!
Yes, but cold proofing enhances the flavor and makes the dough easier to handle. If you don’t want to proof overnight, let it rise at room temperature for 2-3 hours before baking.
You can bake the bread on a baking stone or baking sheet. To create steam, place a pan of water or ice cubes on the bottom rack of your oven when you put the bread in. The steam helps develop a crispy crust.
A dense loaf is usually the result of underproofing, not enough stretch-and-folds, or flour that didn’t fully hydrate. Give your dough more time to rise and do a few more stretch-and-fold rounds.
Let the bread cool completely. Then wrap the bread with beeswax wraps, or in a plastic ziplock bag, and store for about a week at room temperature. Fermented whole grain bread keeps longer than unfermented whole grain bread at room temperature. This is because the fermentation process makes the bread less susceptible to mold and fungus.

Make Your Own Sourdough Bread with Freshly Milled Flour
Ingredients
- 475 grams wheat berries I like to use 400 grams of hard white wheat and 75 grams of einkorn, spelt, or kamut
- 325 grams water
- 10 grams fine sea salt
- 100 grams sourdough starter
Instructions
- Feed a sourdough starter 4-12 hours before starting the bread. It needs to be active and bubbly.
- Weigh 475 grams of wheat berries and grind them in your flour mill. I like to use 400 grams of hard white wheat berries and 75 grams of einkorn, spelt, or kamut. I grind mine on the finest setting. This is a "1" on the Mockmill Lino 100 that I use.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the filtered water, active starter, salt and milled flour. Mix with your hands for a few minutes.
- Cover with a damp tea towel (any small kitchen towel will work fine) and allow the dough to rest for one hour so the water can hydrate the flour. This process is called autolyse, where the flour becomes fully hydrated.
Stretch and Fold
- Stretch the dough up on one side as far as you can without the dough separating, and fold it over the rest of the dough. Then, turn the bowl about a quarter around and repeat the process. Do this 4 times, gently forming the dough back into a ball shape after each stretch and fold. This is considered one "stretch and fold" round. Put the dough back into the bowl and cover again with the damp tea towel.
- Wait about 20 minutes and repeat another stretch and fold round. I try to do about 4 stretch and fold rounds every 20 minutes, but if you only do a couple, it will still work.
Bulk Fermentation (The Big Rise)
- After your final stretch and fold, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the the dough rise in a warm spot until it's doubled in size. This usually takes my dough about 8 hours.
Shape and Refrigerate Overnight
- Shape the dough into a ball using your hands. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Lightly flour a tea towel lined banneton basket or bowl and gently transfer the dough.
- Cover with plastic and proof for 12-14 hours in the refrigerator. I like to put my banneton basket in a large zip-lock bag and seal it.
- You can store the dough in the refrigerator overnight, or for up to a week before baking.
Bake the Bread
- Preheat your oven to 450°F (232°C).
- Place a Dutch oven into your oven and let it heat up for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, remove the dough from the fridge and place on parchment paper. This is when you can score your bread with a lame or razor if you want. I personally don’t do this.
- Gently place the parchment paper and dough into the Dutch oven. Trim the parchment paper so that there is none hanging out of the Dutch oven because it could burn.
- Bake for 20 minutes with the lid on, and another 10 minutes with the lid off.
- Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing it.
If you make this recipe and love it, I would love if you gave it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @devotedtolittles with your delicious creation.
How much started is in the recipe?
I’m so sorry I missed that! It’s 100 grams and should be in the recipe now. Please let me know if you try it!
I can’t find how much starter to add in the recipe.
Thanks so much for letting me know! I’m sorry I missed that. It’s 100 grams and should be in there now. 🙂