Sourdough Bread

Sourdough is an ancient bread with thousands of years of bread-making history behind it. It has a distinctive taste, the result of lactic acid produced by bacteria used to ferment the dough. A sourdough “starter” is made from a combination of yeast and bacteria growing in a paste of flour and water. Some is used for making a loaf, and the rest is saved to grow and use for future baking.

From its hard crust to its soft interior, sourdough bread has a unique flavor. And even though its quite a long process I wanted to try it and came up with the tastiest bread I have ever eaten. Enjoy!

Ingredients:   

• 1 cup "fed" sourdough starter
• 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 5 cups allpurpose flour  

How To:

Mix sourdough starter, flour, and salt together with instant yeast, sugar and water in a large bowl, knead and form a smooth dough. Shape it into one large ball, and place it in the base of a slightly greased round /oval covered pan about 90 minutes to 2 hrs, until very puffy and doubled in size.

Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 425°F. Spray the loaf with lukewarm water. Make two fairly deep diagonal slashes using  a serrated bread knife. Bake the bread for 25 to 30 minutes, removing the lid of the baker for the final 5 minutes of baking, until it's a very deep golden brown.  Remove it from the oven, and cool before slicing.

Sourdough starter recipe:

Combine 1 cup all purpose flour 1/2 cup with non-chlorinated cool water in a non-reactive container.  Stir everything together thoroughly; make sure there’s no dry flour anywhere. Cover the container loosely and let the mixture sit at warm room temperature (about 70°F) for 24 hours. There is no or a little bit activity  in the first 24 hours. For each feeding, weigh out 1 cup starter; this will be a generous ½ cup, once it’s thoroughly stirred down. Discard any remaining starter. Add to the remainder 1 cup all purpose flour, 1/2 cup cool water. Mix well, cover, and let the mixture rest at room temperature for 24 hours.

By the third day  you’ll see some activity – bubbling; a fresh, fruity aroma, and some evidence of expansion. It’s now time to begin two feedings daily. Each feeding, weigh out 1 cup starter; this will be a generous ½ cup, once it’s thoroughly stirred down. Discard any remaining starter. Add 1 cup all purpose flour, and 1/2 cup water to the 1 cup starter. Repeat two-a-day feedings on days 4, 5, and as many days as it takes for your starter to become very active. After about a week of consistent feeding, your starter should be ready to use in a sourdough bread recipe. The starter should have a tangy aroma – pleasingly acidic, but not overpowering.

Remove however much starter you need for your recipe (no more than 8 ounces, about 1 cup); and transfer the remaining 1 cup of starter to its permanent home: a crock, jar, or whatever you’d like to store it in long-term. Unless you plan on continuing to feed the starter twice a day, refrigerate it for future use.

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