How to Make a 100% Hydration Cold Fermented Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

A while back I published a recipe for a 100% hydration white flour sandwich bread which turned out to be quite popular and a few people asked me for a whole wheat version. So here it is. It is basically identical to the original recipe with one exception which is the flour.
This dough is just as easy to handle. In fact, it is more cohesive because the bran absorbs more water and makes the dough a bit tighter. You could easily increase the hydration of this dough to 110% or even more without any issues.
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[@Jeepy2-LoveToBake]

This was quite an impressive recipe - the results are phenomenal, lovely crust and such a soft and tender crumb considering it is 100% wheat flour. I plan to make this again this weekend. Charlie now has 212K subscribers - please continue sharing your bakes with family, friends and colleagues, share photos on your social media channels (including links to Charlie's YT) and ask your followers to subscribe to his channel. His videos have helped many of us become better bakers (well, me at least) - let's all do we can to get to 300K subscribers by the end of the year. Remember, It only takes "ONE" post to go viral..... Go "Team ChainBaker"! 🎉🎉

[@liskl5982]

My overnight 100% whole wheat (650 g), 2.75 c water, 1 Tablespoon yeast, 1 t salt. Mix until no dry ingredients and cover. No folding before refrigerating overnight. In the morning, let sit out still covered until you are wake, then fold four ways, shape, let rise and bake 45 minute in oiled pan at 425 F. Wrap in a tea towel on a rack to cool. Thanks for your video. Through them and lots of iterations I arrived at this wonderful bread recipe for my flour.

[@BigboiiTone]

Watching this video I realised something that I had started taking for granted. That open faced sandwich you made looked amazing 😩 It's a skill you develop with practice I think, being able to place the foods in their most beautiful arrangement. It becomes a habit with time, something I just do without thinking about it. I bet it's the same way with you, especially with baking...seeing as how your projects turn out so beautifully!

[@ChainBaker]

Got to make it look good for the camera ;D but yeah a good looking sandwich is somehow even tastier :)

[@BigboiiTone]

@@ChainBaker as the proverb tells us "you eat with your eyes!"

[@W4V3MAKER]

That Pullman does an excellent job at making perfectly square bread slices.

[@anna-fb9cq]

I used to bake my sourdough breads based on Claus Meyers wonderful book Meyers bakery. His whole wheat breads are pretty similar: 500 g flour, 450 g water, 50 g sourdough (definitely not thick). I't super useful that he gives the optimal inner tempriture of the dough when the bread is ready so I usual bake different versions as I can always check the temperature and know if it's ready or not yet. butter is my fav used in the baking form, it gives az excellent extra taste for the bread. (love your page and recipes too ♡)

[@Jeepy2-LoveToBake]

Baked this on Saturday afternoon, in between all of my Easter bakes. Happy Easter everyone!!! This dough was easier to handle as it was 100% whole wheat flour, but it sure did want to jump out of the bowl during the cold bulk fermentation - when I checked it early Sat morning, the dough was in the process of lifting the glass lid from the bowl, so I had to cover with another bowl to all it to continue to ferment until later in the afternoons (about 22 hrs total). The rest of the process when smoothly - final proofing was a bit faster as I placed the loaf in a slightly warmer spot for an hour and then back at room temp for another 45 minutes. Total bake time was 50 minutes as the loaf was not quite ready at 40 minutes. Finally sliced this loaf for a quick snack during final prep for our family Easter lunch. I also sliced the Tea Cake loaf I baked on Friday (enjoying with Smuckers Peanut Butter). The 100% wheat bread is outstanding!!! Soft and slightly moist crumb (not as moist as the previous “100% hydration crumpet bread”) - nice sturdy crust as you can see by the extra thin slices and the depth of flavor - such a nice nuttiness to it! Thanks to Charlie for sharing this recipe - will be making this again!!! (#332) Photos have been posted.

[@TheBereangirl]

Well Charlie, it looks like I knead to add another baking pan to my collection. See what I did there?!😂🤣❤

[@ChainBaker]

😁

[@Dohrey]

Could you do a no knead Shokupan or Japanese Milk Loaf recipe? The versions I generally see online require insane amounts of kneading usually with a stand mixer, so would be great to explore if that is actually necessary.

[@ChainBaker]

Coming soon ;D

[@Dohrey]

@@ChainBaker Exciting! Thanks!

[@burot1469]

Recién encuentro tu canal y desde ya que hice una maratón con cada vídeo! Aún no decido que receta intentar, la emoción es total jaja. Saludos desde Argentina y gracias por compartir tanta sabiduría!

[@andreadake5049]

Yessss This is what I've been waiting for you to come out with. Thank you so much for this! ❤

[@Jeepy2-LoveToBake]

Love this! Can early wait to make this - and it is even easier? Fantastic!!

[@helenjohnson7583]

Very nice recipe!

[@ROKillUminati47]

This was extremely informative, thank you for all the tips and tricks, they're highly appreciated ❤ !!! Keep up the good work, you're awesome 😎 !!!

[@ChainBaker]

Thank you so much :)

[@melmil9836]

I love your no frills methods for making breads, good work. ❤ 🇦🇺

[@nerinat8371]

Definitely be making this, cheers

[@user-hr4tb5bg6e]

Thanks Charlie for another wholewheat recipe🎉🎉🎉 Wholewheat on the map!🎉

[@urzokni4173]

amazing as always! can't wait to use this dough for buns

[@ChainBaker]

They might turn out a little flat. I'd lower the hydration a bit ;)

[@urzokni4173]

@@ChainBaker thanks for the tip! I'm hyped already

[@EarthymoonPhotos]

Coil fold is pretty much the only thing I do now. Love it!

[@ChainBaker]

Easy peasy! 😎

[@new2chem390]

I really enjoy your videos

[@ChainBaker]

That is great to hear. Happy baking! :)

[@americanrebel413]

Great video My friend it's good to see you again.

[@ChainBaker]

✌😎

[@peterschvartz4139]

Super nice ai love your Chanel!!!🎉

[@ChainBaker]

😍

[@guitarsynth4605]

It reminds me a bit of the Danish ryebread “bondebrød” Enjoyed the video, thanks! 🤩

[@georgepagakis9854]

For some reason I stopped using olive oil when making pizza dough. Recently I went back to olive oil to get a softer crust but it ended up giving me that crispiness I was missing. I found that 3% was a perfect amount to give a crispy pizza even when it gest cold. I tried 2% oil as well but 3% was slightly better. Just thought I would add that, because besides colour and softness EVO plays a big factor for crispy pizza dough. I bake at 650F but not sure why it would not give the same results at a lower temp.

[@tom8181]

Hi You are a great teacher I want to ask if you can do a video on grinding your own grain and how to modify recipes from store bought flour to using whole wheat ?

[@ChainBaker]

Here's my very little playlist of freshly milled flour videos - kzbin.info/aero/PLJ97q0PY0sXIOBItl7MQNnZlERY68TuY9 Use it as a guideline. There will be more coming in the future.

[@turtlemark2]

I love your videos... can you please do one on fresh milled wheat sourdough with an open crumb

[@ChainBaker]

I don't have a starter at the moment, so I can't make any videos anytime soon. But here's a freshly milled bread recipe that you could use as a guideline - kzbin.info/www/bejne/oIivaKWKqcd0mbM

[@bowmaster20]

Looks great, just finished mixing this up! Added a little bit of honey to balance out the strong whole wheat flavor. Going to try folding it in along with the oil (i didn’t think about adding honey until after mixing). I’m guessing it should work just fine. I did a modified version of your other 100% sandwich loaf with half strong bread flour and half whole wheat. It was a big hit and I’m sure this one will be too!

[@ChainBaker]

How was it? :)

[@bowmaster20]

Turned out really good! I forgot to mention that I also swapped a small amount of flour for some whole grain rye. So it took an extra fold to really get the gluten to feel strong enough. Folding in the drizzled honey worked really well too. Subtle honey flavor throughout with excellent consistency. I’ll definitely be making this and other variations again!

[@macanderson7351]

Wonderful video. Thank you! I’m curious if you know the internal temp of the loaf when you felt it was done?

[@ChainBaker]

I did not measure it, but when it comes to a fully baked bread, there is a pretty much a universal rule of reaching at least 94C (200F).

[@macanderson7351]

@@ChainBaker thank you. That is what I have used for other lower hydration doughs (up to 80%) but wasn’t sure if the 100% (maybe more after the first try) required it to reach full boil (I am at sea level) and some time expelling moisture. I live in the US and just ordered that Pullman from your link hope you get credited for it! We have a much longer commercial Pullman pan but I was afraid the dough would flop on transfer. And it has been a long time since I bought a baking tool so I figured why not treat myself? I will be trying this with 100% home milled (Nutrimill Harvest) Rouge de Bordeaux. Keeping all other elements the same (although I am already wanting to convert to my sourdough starter, just don’t want to change many variables. Thanks again for the super videos! My wife and I love them.

[@kevinu.k.7042]

Excellent so nicely made and the method you've refined is masterclass grade. I think I have a couple of questions though. You keep the olive oil down to 3% presumably to because too much diminishes loaf volume, but then at 4:16 you pour a load of oil into the dough. Have I missed something here? Personally I will stick to 2%-3% olive oil, just for it's anti staling properties. My other question, or doubt, is the trend toward very high hydration being sought after by many. Gluten and starch can only absorb so much water, more than that is held in the dough, but not really absorbed by anything, it's floating free so to speak. My experience is that this leads to a rubbery damp crumb which I don't find so pleasant, except in crumpets and your Crumpet bread, which was magnificent. Well, that's just my preference. I've just added Marriages 100% Organic Stoneground Wholemeal flour, 14.4% protein to my shopping list. I shall put my bread where my mouth is and give this a couple of bakes, one like this and another lower hydration, natural leaven and no cold fermentation. I stand ready to be corrected by the results. Thanks for yet another of your great videos. Every one has at least one nugget in it for me. 👍

[@ChainBaker]

The oil there is to coat the loaf and give it a toasty exterior. It can just as well be left off the recipe. Yeah the crumb becomes chewy and moist, but that is exactly what I was after this time. You're right though :) I'm looking forward to seeing your bakes, Kevin. Cheers!

[@kevinu.k.7042]

@@ChainBaker Ah, got you. Yes, fried bread crust. Nice. I'll do my best with it. Thanks. Cheers 👍

[@catherinedavidson7145]

I'll be making this. Accidentally bought 7.5 kg of wholewheat flour. 😂

[@ChainBaker]

Sounds like a lucky accident to me 😄

[@fransvandewiel4842]

Trying right now :-). Pretty expensive, those USA Pan tins. And almost 2,5 as expensive in the Netherlands. Alternatives available on the Dutch Amazon site almost all have three vent holes in the bottom. What do you think of that?

[@ChainBaker]

They are expensive for sure, but they're a good investment. I have had some of those tins with the holes in the bottom. The ones I had did not last long at all. The coating wore off very quickly and they became super sticky. You get what you pay for when it comes to these things.

[@m.f.8752]

Wondering, can this be achieved with sourdough leaven instead of yeast?

[@ChainBaker]

Sure. Use 20% of the flour in the leaven. The acidity should make this dough even tighter and easier to handle.

[@antonse78963]

might be a weird question, but if you had your own bakery, based on your youtube video breads, what lineup of which recipes of bread, would you sell, if you could only pick a couple : )

[@ChainBaker]

That is a great question! And a difficult one to answer. I would probably stick to mostly large loaves that pack a lot of flavour and can stay fresh for a long time. Rye and whole wheat with seeds and other tasty additions, slow fermented and most likely made with natural leavening. And some sweet bakes using the scalding technique. Basically, I would not want to deal with any of those baked goods which go stale in a few hours.

[@bloodwolf7462]

For sure this recipe will be baked before weekend :D Back to those questions I asked there are few more... I've seen on "The Bread Code" baking method that uses 2 trays and stones to imitate "dutch oven" (yup my equipment still lack "Lodge Pan") can you make comparison? Cold fermentation, cold fermentation and what about cold proofing? You always check temperature of dough... What will happen if we remove that variable from whole baking proces?

[@ChainBaker]

My equipment lacks two trays and stones 😅 When it comes to cold proofing commercial yeast dough, the bulk fermentation time must be reduced and the dough must go into the fridge right after shaping. There are of course exceptions like sweet rolls and such which are not at such a high risk of over proofing. Here's the video - kzbin.info/www/bejne/nH7UZJiLiMypaJo

[@shainesmith9474]

Does anything change with the hydration if I were to add oats and seeds?

[@ChainBaker]

Technically, you would be lowering the hydration. But it's so high that you can just throw anything into this dough without needing to adjust it.

[@ilvonful]

Is it possible to make this as a freestanding loaf?

[@catherinedavidson7145]

I imagine it would spread and turn into a rather flat disc.

[@ChainBaker]

It may turn out a little flat. You'd need to lower the hydration to keep some height.

[@sunshineseaandvitamind8620]

Is it the Indian wholewheat flour Atta that you used?

[@ChainBaker]

It's whole wheat bread flour. Quite a bit stronger than atta. It will not work very well if you use it. I would keep the hydration well below 80% and give it extra folds.

[@wexcell]

Do you think it is doable using sourdough with similar results?

[@ChainBaker]

Sure. Make a leaven with 20% of the flour.

[@alexhurst3986]

If the flour is not 13% can I make up the difference with vital wheat gluten and still keep the hydration at 100%? I'll have to try this as most bread flour at my grocery store is only 10%

[@ChainBaker]

That should work. Although, depending on how you look at it, the hydration may not be 100% anymore. When I used VWG I simply added it to the flour. Technically, it could be assumed that there now is more flour in relation to water. Personally, I count the VWG as a separate ingredient. So, if you ask me, the answer is - yes 😄

[@mariarohmer2374]

Wow, so perfect and I'm sure so tasty! Yum😋

[@Doog-isle.]

Question: What happens if you make bread with a tangzong and condensed milk?

[@ChainBaker]

You get a sweet and soft loaf out of it.

[@Doog-isle.]

@@ChainBaker Thanks

[@TheDuckofDoom.]

But does it toast? Some breads toast in one cycle of my toaster, store bought sourdough usually takes 2 cycles(on the same darkness setting) and some homemade breads take 3 cycles. I haven't found the cause, I think it may be hydration or protein content, possibly density. The last bread that I made which took 3 toaster cycles was 4% sugar and had a long ferment both of which generally cause more browning of the crust while baking but it was med-high hydration and about 13-13.5% protein (2/3 whole grain hard red wheat and 1/3 low to med ash hard red wheat flour.) Changing the fat from 3% to 11% had no significant effect on toasting, neither did an egg yolk.

[@ChainBaker]

I don't own a toaster, so I can't check. But I guess it would take longer because of the high moisture content.

[@serene4675]

Can i see it after 3 days, i just starting making wholewheat, i didnt know about fermenting inside fridge.

[@ChainBaker]

You can. Here's more about long cold fermentation kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKa8l6h4qrSpfc0

[@antheeamorgan]

I have started to make my own bread for over a year now and I've always had successful result, but lately I've had so many failures, especially with high hydration breads. I am using the same yeast as always, but different flours. I don't know what I've been doing wrong lately ☹

[@ChainBaker]

It will probably be the flour. Lower the hydration and work from there :)

[@jonnsmusich]

I haven't used my mixer since I first tried one of your recipes. Making good bread is religious for me. Much appreciated.

[@ChainBaker]

That is nice to hear. My mixer has been collecting dust for years now 😄

[@gaborszabo9804]

Can you please do a sourdough version? :)

[@joeyjoejoejrshabadu]

Just use 20% sourdough starter instead of yeast and ferment for longer. It will probably be more difficult to handle tho, because Sourdough causes faster gluten degradation.

[@ChainBaker]

Yep, 20% starter is a great amount for pretty much anything.

[@Mandyx92]

Hi this is off topic, but can I ask how old you are?

[@ChainBaker]

Halfway through my 30's 😄

[@jameswhite1450]

I'm going to try it but working with 100% hydration is tough. imho

[@ChainBaker]

This one is pretty manageable :)

[@TAD-9]

USA Pan sales after this 📈

[@ChainBaker]

They are really good 😄

[@TAD-9]

​@@ChainBaker I actually just bought one from Amazon all the way from Norway. Can't wait to bake with it.

[@M-a-k-o]

Quote: 'A little olive oil never hurt anyone.' This is hilarious😂 I am making your latest baby tonight.

[@ChainBaker]

Let me know how it turns out ✌️😎

[@M-a-k-o]

@@ChainBaker Hey Charlie, I've just had my first bite. It was super fluffy and tasty despite it being a bit on the flat side. I think I overproofed it (3 hours in total) and it lost height after I put it in the oven. Thanks for your terrific help. You are the man🏆

[@ChainBaker]

@M-a-k-o great work! I bet the next one will be closer to perfect 😎

[@junebug2195]

🙏🏻🌹🙏🏻