Directions: |
Directions:1. Dissolve yeast in ½ cup warm water, rest for 10 minutes.
2. Mix in flour, sugar, and remaining water.
3. Allow to stand, loosely covered, in a warm place for 3 or 4 days. Use a large bowl as it will rise considerably.
4. Every time the batter is used to make a product set aside one cup to be used as a starter for another batch.
5. Keep covered in the fridge.
6. To make it into a basic batter again, add another 2 cups flour and 2 cups warm water and allow to stand at room temperature overnight it is now ready.
Bread
1 c. starter, room termerature
¾ c. lukewarm water (100 degrees) 2 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. baking soda
3 c. bread flour or unbleached all-purpose Cornmeal
• The thickness of your sourdough starter can determine how much flour needs to be used. If you think the dough is too moist, add additional flour (a tablespoon at a time). The same is true if the dough is looking dry and gnarly- add warm water (a tablespoon at a time).
Bread Machine Mix - Add all the ingredients except cornmeal in the bread pan of bread machine. Process according to manufacturer's instructions for a dough setting. NOTE: Don't be afraid to open the lid and check the dough. It should form a nice elastic ball. When the bread machine has completed the dough cycle, remove the dough from the pan to a lightly oiled surface. Knead the dough several times and form the dough into an oval; cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes.
Mixer Mix - In a large bowl or in the bowl of a five quart stand mixer, combine starter, water, salt, baking soda, and bread flour. Using dough hook, mix everything together into a uniform dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until elastic, about fifteen minutes. NOTE: In an electric mixer, it should take about nine minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes.
After resting, knead dough on a lightly floured board by pulling the dough towards you and then pushing down and forward with the palms of your hands (kneading gives the bread elasticity and lets it rise).
Place the dough in a lightly oiled large bowl. Place a damp towel over the bottom then cover with plastic wrap (the humidity in the bowl helps the rising process).
Let rise until it doubles in volume (when you can put your finger in the dough and it leaves an indention and doesn't spring back out) approximately 4 to 8 hours (depending on the temperature and the starter used, the rising time can vary as much as 12 hours).
NOTE: You may use the oven for the rising. Turn the oven on for a minute or so, then turn it off again. This will warm the oven and make it a great environment for rising bread. If you can't comfortably press your hand against the inside of the oven door, then the oven is too hot. Let it stand open to cool a bit.
Sourdough rises more slowly than yeast bread. Always remember, the longer the rise time, the more sourdough flavor.
After the dough has risen, remove from bowl, and place on a lightly floured board. Knead in flour to free it one more time before baking. Shape dough into a loaf shape and place it on a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet that is dusted with cornmeal. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to rise until doubled in size, approximately 1 to 3 hours.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. After rising, slash the bread with a bread razor or a very sharp knife making three ½ inch deep diagonal slashes. Brush or spray the top of the bread with cold water and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until nicely browned.
Remove from oven and place the bread on a wire rack to cool. Let baked bread loaf cool for 30 minutes before cutting (this is because the bread is still cooking while it is cooling). |
This recipe for Sourdough Bread is from