Multigrain Sourdough Sunday Loaf with Half White Flour and 75 Percent Hydration
Updated: Oct 13
A basic Sunday loaf is already a small ritual: flour, water, salt, starter, and time. This version keeps that same calm rhythm, but adds more flavour and texture with rye, semolina, wholemeal wheat, spelt, and corn.
The dough is built around a simple flour split: 50 per cent strong half-white bread flour, then 10 per cent each of five characterful grains. At 75 per cent hydration, it is moist enough to bake into an open, tender crumb, but still manageable for a home baker.
This is the kind of loaf that works with soup, cheese, eggs, butter, jam, or just a quiet slice while the bread is still faintly warm.
Why this multigrain loaf works so well
Multigrain doughs can sometimes feel heavy. This one stays balanced because half of the flour is strong half-white bread flour. That gives the loaf enough gluten strength to rise well and hold its shape.
The other half brings flavour.
Rye adds depth and a slight earthiness. Semolina gives the crumb a warm colour and a gentle sweetness. Wholemeal wheat makes the bread feel hearty. Spelt brings a soft, nutty note. Corn adds a sunny colour and a mild sweetness, especially if you use fine cornmeal or very fine polenta.
The sourdough base ties it together. Instead of tasting like a plain mixed-flour loaf, the bread has a rounded flavour, with a mild tang and a satisfying crust.
The hydration matters too. At 75 per cent water, the dough is not stiff. It needs folds rather than hard kneading, and it rewards patience. The result is a loaf that feels rustic but not dense.
The baker's percentage formula
This recipe uses 500 g total flour, including the flour in the starter. The quantities below make one generous loaf.
If your starter is made with white flour at 100 per cent hydration, it fits neatly into the formula. If your starter is made with rye or wholemeal flour, the loaf will still work, but the final flour balance will shift slightly.
Ingredient | Baker's percentage | Weight |
Total flour | 100% | 500 g |
Water | 75% | 375 g |
Salt | 2% | 10 g |
Active sourdough starter at 100% hydration | 20% | 100 g |
Here is the flour blend for the full 500 g flour total.
Flour | Percentage | Total flour weight |
Strong half-white bread flour | 50% | 250 g |
Rye flour | 10% | 50 g |
Fine semolina | 10% | 50 g |
Wholemeal wheat flour | 10% | 50 g |
Spelt flour | 10% | 50 g |
Fine cornmeal or very fine polenta | 10% | 50 g |
The starter already contains 50 g flour and 50 g water, so you take them away from the final dough: 50 g less half-white flour and 50 g less water. The final mix looks like this:
Ingredient for the final dough | Weight |
Active sourdough starter | 100 g |
Strong half-white bread flour | 200 g |
Rye flour | 50 g |
Fine semolina | 50 g |
Wholemeal wheat flour | 50 g |
Spelt flour | 50 g |
Fine cornmeal or very fine polenta | 50 g |
Water | 325 g |
Fine sea salt | 10 g |
This gives you the full formula: 500 g total flour and 375 g total water, including what is in the starter, for 75 per cent hydration, plus 10 g salt.
Ingredients for one loaf
You will need:
100 g active sourdough starter, at peak or just past peak
200 g strong half-white bread flour
50 g rye flour
50 g fine semolina
50 g wholemeal wheat flour
50 g spelt flour
50 g fine cornmeal or very fine polenta
325 g water, room temperature
10 g fine sea salt
A few small details make the dough easier to handle.
Use strong half-white bread flour rather than plain flour. The extra strength helps support the lower-gluten grains. Rye, spelt, and corn do not behave like white wheat flour, so the half-white flour is doing real structural work here.
Use an active starter. It should smell pleasantly tangy, look bubbly, and have enough strength to lift the dough. If it has collapsed and smells very sharp, feed it and wait before mixing.
The method holds back 25 g of the water and adds it later with the salt. If your flour feels very soft or your kitchen is warm, you can leave some of it out. A 75 per cent hydration dough should feel supple and slightly sticky, not soupy.
A simple Sunday baking schedule
This loaf fits nicely into a relaxed weekend routine. Timings will change with room temperature and starter strength, so use the dough as your guide.
Saturday evening
Feed your starter so it will be active by morning. A simple feed such as 1 part starter, 2 parts water, and 2 parts flour often works well overnight in a cool kitchen.
If your kitchen is warm, use less starter in the feed, or feed later in the evening.
Sunday morning
Mix the dough, give it folds, and let it bulk ferment. This is the hands-on part, but it is not difficult. Most of the time is waiting.
Sunday afternoon
Shape the loaf, let it proof, then bake. For a deeper flavour and better crumb, proof it in the fridge and bake later.
A cold final proof is especially useful with a multigrain sourdough. It firms the dough, makes scoring cleaner, and gives the grains more time to hydrate.
How to make the dough
Add the starter and most of the water (300 g) to a large mixing bowl. Stir until the starter disperses. Add all the flours and mix by hand or with a dough whisk until no dry patches remain.
The dough will look rough at this stage. That is fine.
Cover the bowl and rest for 30 to 45 minutes. This rest helps the flour absorb water and makes the dough easier to strengthen. Semolina and cornmeal both benefit from this short pause.
After the rest, sprinkle over the salt and add the remaining 25 g of water. Pinch and fold the dough until the salt is fully mixed in.
Now begin the strengthening phase.
Do three to four sets of stretch and folds over the next two hours. Leave about 30 minutes between each set. To fold, lift one side of the dough, stretch it up gently, and fold it back over itself. Turn the bowl and repeat until you have worked around the dough.
Early on, the dough may tear if pulled too hard. Handle it gently. By the final fold, it should feel smoother, more elastic, and slightly airy.
Bulk fermentation and shaping
After the folds, leave the dough covered until it has increased by about 35–40 per cent and looks alive. You should see bubbles at the sides or surface. The dough should feel lighter and more elastic than when you mixed it.
Do not wait for the dough to double. With sourdough, especially a mixed-grain dough, doubling during bulk fermentation can lead to overproofing later.
When the dough is ready, lightly flour the work surface and turn it out. Shape it gently into a round and rest it for 15 to 20 minutes. This short bench rest relaxes the dough and makes final shaping easier.
For the final shape, turn the dough over so the smooth side is underneath. Fold the edges towards the centre, then turn it seam-side down and tighten it with gentle movements against the worktop.
Place the shaped dough seam-side up in a floured banneton or a bowl lined with a well-floured tea towel.
You now have two options.
Same-day proof | Overnight proof |
Leave at room temperature until the dough slowly springs back when pressed. | Cover and refrigerate for 8 to 16 hours. |
Good when you want bread the same day. | Good for flavour, scheduling, and easier scoring. |
Watch it closely near the end. | Bake straight from the fridge. |
For a Sunday loaf, the overnight proof is not always possible unless you bake on Monday morning. If you want bread on Sunday, start early or keep the kitchen comfortably warm.
Baking for a crisp crust and tender crumb
Heat your oven to 250°C with a Dutch oven, cloche, or heavy lidded pot inside. Give it at least 30 minutes to heat fully.
When ready to bake, turn the dough onto baking paper. Dust off any excess flour if needed. Score the top with a sharp blade. A single confident cut works well for this loaf.
Carefully lower the dough into the hot pot. Cover and bake for 20 minutes.
Remove the lid, lower the oven to 220°C, and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, until the crust is deep golden brown.
If you bake without a Dutch oven, use a baking stone or heavy tray and add steam at the start of baking. A tray of hot water at the bottom of the oven can help, but take care when handling steam.
The loaf is done when it sounds hollow when tapped underneath. If you use a thermometer, the centre should be around 92–94°C.
Let the loaf cool on a rack for at least one hour before slicing. This is hard, but it matters. Multigrain bread needs time for the crumb to set. Cutting too early can make the inside feel gummy, even when the loaf is fully baked.
What to expect from the finished loaf
This bread has a darker, more interesting crumb than a basic white sourdough. It should be moist, lightly chewy, and speckled with grain. The crust bakes up crisp, while the inside stays soft for longer than a lean white loaf.
The flavour is the main reason to make it. The rye and wholemeal wheat bring depth. The spelt rounds the edges. The semolina and corn add colour and a gentle sweetness. The sourdough gives the loaf a clean tang without taking over.
It is a very good everyday bread.
Serve it with:
Salted butter and honey
Mature cheddar or soft goat's cheese
Lentil soup or vegetable stew
Scrambled eggs
Tomato, olive oil, and flaky salt
Toasted, with marmalade
It also makes excellent toast on the second day. The grains brown beautifully, and the flavour becomes even fuller.
Easy ways to adjust the loaf
Once you have made the recipe once, you can adjust it without losing the spirit of the bread.
For a lighter loaf, increase the half-white flour to 60 per cent and reduce one or two of the stronger grains. Keep the hydration close to 75 per cent.
For a more rustic loaf, use a little more wholemeal wheat or rye, but expect a tighter crumb. More wholegrain flour absorbs more water and can make the dough less elastic.
For extra texture, add soaked seeds. Sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, or linseed all work well. Soak them first so they do not steal water from the dough. A good starting point is 50 g seeds soaked in 50 g water, then folded into the dough after the first rest.
For a milder loaf, shorten the cold proof or bake on the same day. For a tangier loaf, use the fridge proof and let the dough ferment slowly.
The best version is the one that fits your kitchen and your Sunday.
Common problems and simple fixes
If the dough feels too sticky, do not rush to add lots of flour. Wet your hands for folding and give the dough more time. Multigrain dough often becomes easier to handle after the first two folds.
If the loaf spreads after shaping, it may need more strength or a shorter bulk fermentation next time. Make sure the half-white flour is strong enough, and shape with gentle tension.
If the crumb feels dense, the dough may have been under-fermented, or the starter may not have been active enough. Look for visible bubbles and a lighter feel before shaping.
If the crumb feels gummy, let the loaf cool longer before slicing. Also check that the bake was long enough. A bold crust is your friend with this bread.
A loaf worth adding to your Sunday routine
This multigrain Sunday loaf gives you a practical way to move beyond a basic loaf without making the process complicated. The formula is easy to remember, the dough is forgiving, and the flavour feels generous.
Start with the recipe as written. Learn how the dough feels. Then adjust the grains, proofing time, or seed additions to suit your table.
A good Sunday bread should be simple enough to repeat and interesting enough to look forward to. This one does both.
Bake it with me
If you would like to bake a Sunday loaf with someone beside you, join Sunday Dough – A Bake Backwards Ritual on Sunday 6 December, 10:00–14:00, at Freilagerstrasse 86 in Zürich. It is a small group of up to six people, and you go home with your own loaf.
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