About a week ago, I divided a starter fed with King Arthur’s All Purpose White Flour and began feeding the second half with Bob’s Red Mill 100% Stone Ground Whole Wheat. A whole wheat starter has a thicker consistency and less “wet” in appearance than white flour.

I combined 300 g of whole wheat starter, 500 grams of whole wheat flour, 250 grams of spring water and 10 g salt. I also noticed that dough made with whole wheat starter is thicker when kneaded in a Kitchen Aid mixer or by hand. In fact, I had to closely attend the dough in the mixer as it tends to cool upward along the dough hook to the edge of the bowl.

My whole wheat flour sourdough rises more slowly than its white flour sibling. After allowing my dough to rest for about an hour, I shaped and set the dough in a proofing basket for 5 hours in an 84 degree F oven. The almost doubled in size and probably would have risen much more. I couldn’t stay up much later, so I baked the loaf for 30 minutes at 464 degrees F.

I didn’t need to be eating so close to midnight, but I couldn’t go to bed without tasting the bread right out of the oven (with some butter of course). The bread had a rich, earthy and full flavor and a dense texture.  The texture would probably be lighter if I let similar loaves rise in the future. I feel like I am developing a deeper knowledge of my two starters with this latest attempt with each feeding and the type of flour used to feed the starters. Next time, I will allow the whole wheat sourdough to rise a little longer.