Sourdough bread recipe?!
I'd like one that you personally have tried and love and make often because it's REALLY good.
Thanks..
=)
Answers: Please, not just any old recipe you googled and found.
I'd like one that you personally have tried and love and make often because it's REALLY good.
Thanks..
=)
Here you go Cassy,
If you have a true sourdough starter this will do well for you. I make 4 to 6 loaves a week using the directions below.
BAKING WITH A SOURDOUGH STARTER
A Basic Sourdough French Bread
Remember, sourdough leavens are much slower than commercial bakers' yeast, so it will take longer for this bread to rise. Exactly how long is dependent on your particular starter and the ambient temperature. With sourdough, as with any bread, the longer it is allowed to ferment (without over-rising), the more flavorful the bread will be. Bread rises more slowly at cooler temperatures than warmer, so you may need to do some experimenting to determine what temperatures and times work best for you and your starter.
This recipe involves the building of a two-phase sponge prior to mixing the final dough. It yields an approximately 1 1/2 pound loaf. It can be mixed in a stand mixer, by hand or in a bread machine..
Start with fully activated starter. Unless you have activated your starter recently, it may take more than one feeding to fully activate your starter.
SPONGE - PHASE
Sponge Ingredients:
1/4 cup (2 oz) fully activated starter
1/2 cup (4 oz) water
1/2 cup - 1 cup (2 oz - 4 oz) flour (depending on the consistency you prefer)
Combine to make a thick pancake batter and stir well. Do not worry if the mixture is a bit lumpy. Let this sit until it is fully activated (might be as long as 8 to 12 hours, depending on your starter and temperature).
SPONGE - PHASE 2
Sponge Ingredients:
All of the sponge from above (8 - 10 oz)
1 cup (8 oz) water
1 cup - 1 1/2 cups (4 oz - 7 oz) flour (depending on the consistency you prefer)
Combine to make a thick pancake batter and stir well. Do not worry if the mixture is a bit lumpy. Let this sit until it is fully activated (might be as long as 8 to 12 hours, depending on your starter and temperature).
You can mix your dough anytime after your starter has reached its peak fully activated state during this phase.
MIX AND KNEAD YOUR DOUGH
Bread Dough Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups of fully activated starter-sponge from above
2 cups bread flour
3/4 tsp salt
Pour the starter-sponge into a large mixing bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups of the flour (reserving the remaining 1/2 cup to use if needed) and knead until the dough reaches the proper consistency of bread dough - a smooth, soft, moist ball of dough, not sticky but slightly tacky is okay. Add flour or water as necessary to achieve the proper consistency. After kneading for several minutes and the gluten has set up some, add the salt and continue kneading until the gluten has developed and the dough forms a smooth, elastic, soft, moist ball.
RISE
Place the dough in a lightly covered bowl, turning to coat both the top and bottom. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until it has doubled in volume or until an indentation remains when you press two fingers in 1/2 inch. Once again, how long is dependent upon your particular starter and the ambient temperature.
SHAPE
Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Gently pat out the dough to 1" - 1 1/2" and form into a rough circle-like shape. Gently press out the dough but do not really knead it as you attempt to deflate the larger air bubbles while retaining the smaller ones (this will help create an open-hole texture in your bread). Shape the dough into a ball, stretching the skin fairly tightly across the top. Pinch the seam together on the bottom of the ball. If you are baking hearth loaves, place your loaf into your prepared banneton, basket, or bowl seam-side up and cover. For free-form loaves, the dough on a well floured board or oven peel seam-side down and cover. floured board or oven peel seam-side down and cover.
RISE AND BAKE
Allow the dough to rise until it is not quite fully proofed (free-form loaves are best baked just slightly under-proofed). The dough should just begin to hold the indentation of your fingertip when you lightly press into the dough and should not be pushing back at you.
Prepare your oven in sufficient time to fully heat your baking stone/tiles/bricks (usually 30 - 40 minutes to pre-heat to 450 to 500 degrees F).
Uncover the loaves, turn them out onto a cornmeal-dusted peel if they are in containers, slash (dock) and bake. For a thick chewy "crusty" crust use steam during the first 5 - 7 minutes of the bake.
COOL AND CUT
Now for the hardest part of all. Allow your loaf to cool completely (about 2 hours) before cutting into it. A loaf of bread is not fully flavored until it is fully cool and it is much easier to slice cool.
ENJOY!
Now for the fun part - finally! Slice up your loaf, slather it with lots of fresh creamy butter or thin slices of cheese, sit back with your favorite beverage and some good friends, and enjoy the fruit of your labors. It will be great!
MILD STARTER
Day 1
Mix 6 cups whole wheat flour and 2 cups cool water (65-70F) together. Knead to dough. Press into a container and mark the level. Cover and allow to rest in warm place for twenty four hours.
Day 2
Remove the dough from the container, it may or may not have risen. Either way do not worry about it. Cut the dough into six pieces. Cut the dough into six pieces. Put 6 cups bread flour, 2 cups cool water (65-70F), and six pieces of dough together and mix till they form a ball. Divide the dough into pieces and press into two containers and mark as before. Leave in warm spot for 24 hours.
Day 3
If the dough in the containers has not doubled in size, wait till it does. This may take 2 or three days. When doubled, repeat Day 2 process (6 cups bread flour, 2 cups cool water, dough). Cover and mark.
Day 4
When the dough triples, repeat the processes fo Day 3 (6 cups bread flour, 2 cups cool water, dough). Allow to ferment in covered bowl for at least 4 hours before using. I prefer to leave it overnight.
FIRM STARTER
Mix 27 ounces bread flour, 36 tablespoons room temperature water, and 24 ounces mild starter together and leave in a warm place for four hours. Then refrigerate overnight.
DOUGH
Cut the firm starter into small pieces. Bring 3 teaspoons dry yeast, 12 cups cool water (65-70F), 69 ounces firm starter, 9 pounds bread flour to a dough. Knead for about 5 minutes then add 15 tsp salt. continue working the dough until it passes the window pane test. Allow the dough to proof to twice its size. then cut the dough into two pieces and form, if you want to use baskets put your bread in them at this stage. Try not to knock out a little air as possible during the molding process. Place the molded dough rounds on parchment sheets sprinkled with cornmeal. Mist the dough with water, cover and allow to double in size (about 4 hours). This can be done in the refrigerator overnight.
Heat the oven to 475F. Spritz the oven and pour a cup of hot water into the steam pan in the oven. Spritz the bread after 2 or 3 minutes, then lower the oven temp to 450F, and bake for 30 minutes. when the bread appears to be done, reduce the oven temp to 350F for a further 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool before eating.