Dad’s No-Knead Sourdough French Bread

My dad’s whole wheat sourdough bread has a beautiful open crumb, a nice chewy crust and requires no kneading at all. This rustic sourdough French bread is so simple to make! What’s the secret? Simply time.

My dad is the best bread maker. His mom was amazing at making bread too, and it seems he inherited her skill with all types of bread. I know, it’s probably more of a learned skill than one that is genetically handed down, but he seems to have what I like to call “good bread karma”. It seems like the first time he makes a new style of bread, it turns out amazing.

This one was good the very first time he made it, but over the years has evolved into something of a masterpiece. Everyone in the family loves it and he usually keeps a couple loaves in the freezer because when we are all together, it disappears FAST.

Since I started cutting down on carbs, I don’t eat much bread, so unless my kids request it, I don’t very often make bread just for me anymore.

I went to visit mom and dad, though, a social distancing kind of visit (trying to keep mom and dad safe until this pandemic is truly over). It got to be late and dad was hungry. Mom and I weren’t really hungry, but dad decided we had to have BLTs for dinner and he proceeded to make us all BLTs with his delightful bread and fresh lettuce from the garden. His tomatoes were store-bought (none ripe yet from the garden), but even though I wasn’t hungry at all, when dad served up his mini BLTs, mine was pretty near the best thing I could remember tasting like EVER. I savored every last bite of this little sandwich and then sat back and reveled in the memory of that taste.

It was in that moment that I decided I needed to make dad’s bread at home. I have a garden this year, and I HAVE to have some good BLTs at home this summer. (AND bruschetta!) My sister had texted me what she called dad’s bread recipe, but I knew it wasn’t really dad’s recipe because her version didn’t have any sourdough in it and I knew dad used sourdough in his bread. I showed him her recipe and he said he would text me HIS recipe. I’m sure my sister’s bread is delightful too, but I’m very into sourdough right now. Sourdough is so healthy and much better for you than regular yeasted bread and it has a depth of flavor you don’t get from normal yeasted bread. The natural bacteria in sourdough makes it easier on your digestive system and many people who are gluten intolerant can eat sourdough bread even though it contains gluten.

Besides, my friend Janice (our sourdough starter) doesn’t like to be left out of the bread-baking fun. We have to keep Janice happily fed, and the only way to do that is to use sourdough starter!

How do you get an open crumb with no-knead whole wheat French sourdough bread?

The secret is a long rise time. The recipe is really SO simple. You simply stir together the ingredients, cover the bowl and then you wait. There is no complicated process to wade through, no need to question yourself as you’re doing it. Just stir, cover and let it rest.

How much time does it take to make whole wheat French sourdough?

Overall, it will take anywhere from a little over 5 1/2 hours up to 13 hours (or even longer). The answer really depends on lots of different factors … how active your sourdough starter is, the humidity in the air, the quality of the flour. You need to be patient with this dough and let it rest until it’s ready. You’ll know when it’s ready because it will be very bubbly.

I started mine at about 5 pm on a Friday, then got tired and went to bed and baked it the next morning, so it probably rested for a good 14 hours, but it was really good and bubbly when I finally rolled my lazy butt out of bed in the morning! I was so excited to bake it and even more excited when it baked up well. I ran out and picked the one ripe tomato in my garden, eager for another orgasmic BLT. I couldn’t wait to slice into this bread!

Why is there yeast in this recipe?

If you look at dad’s recipe, you’ll notice there is a tiny bit of active dry yeast added. Why does he do that? The reason dad adds yeast (and it’s only a tiny tiny bit) is that the yeast makes the bread less sour. Over time, the sourdough starter becomes VERY sour. To tone down that sourness a little, you simply add a little yeast. If you want your sourdough to be more sour or you’re worried about your sourdough French bread being “authentic” or if you simply don’t have any yeast on hand, then you can definitely skip the yeast. Just be aware that the result will be more sour.

Is it true “sourdough” if you add yeast?

I would contend that it IS sourdough because it contains sourdough starter, but I have had people argue with me on that point. To that I say: Does it really matter? As long as it’s delicious, what difference does it make? People get way too wrapped up in “authenticity”, they forget that there are many different methods and styles of cooking and every one is valid and beautiful. If you’re concerned about adding yeast for health reasons, then leave it out.

Do you have to activate your starter before making this bread?

No! There is no need to go through the hassle of activating your starter to make this bread. You can take it directly out of the fridge and start yourself some yummy French bread. In fact, when I make sourdough bread, I never bother with the tedious, wasteful, multi-day process of activating sourdough starter that so many people insist is necessary.

What is folding of the dough? How do you fold bread dough? Is it necessary to fold the dough?

My dad tells me you’ll get better results and a more open crumb if you fold the dough. Now, he also says you don’t have to do any folding, but it’s quite simple and I think, well worth it! I really like my dad’s method of folding … it’s so much simpler than other bread-makers I’ve seen folding dough.

My dad’s method of folding the dough is to use a fork to grab an edge of the dough and then pull that bit of dough up over the top. SO much easier than the hand-based method and your fingers stay clean!

Why use bread flour in whole wheat bread?

Truth be told, most whole wheat breads are not 100% whole wheat. You can definitely make whole wheat bread with 100% whole wheat, but especially when it’s homemade, the result might be more thick and dense than you like. My dad uses half whole wheat, half bread flour to get a lighter, airier crumb. I have not tried this recipe with 100% whole wheat and frankly, I really don’t want to mess with this recipe that my dad totally perfected.

I’m sure it will take me some time to achieve the same fabulous results that dad gets, but I was VERY pleased with the crumb, the chewy crust and the delightful not-too-sour sourdough flavor on my very first try. I’m confident that you can, too!

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