Sourdough
Bread
Yield: 1 loaf or two
small
INGREDIENTS – for waking up the starter
4 oz water –
filtered (no chlorine in it) or bottled water, room temperature
2 oz whole wheat
flour
2 oz white
unbleached flour
INGREDIENTS – for the bread
1 cup warm water
3 – 4 cups flour (½
wheat, ½ white unbleached)
̴1/2 cup sourdough
starter
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
DIRECTIONS
first night
(thursday or friday)
1.
Wake up the starter.
- Scrape starter into a ceramic or
glass bowl.
- Add 4 oz water and stir until mixed.
- Add the 2 oz of whole wheat and 2 oz
of white and stir until flour is wet.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and sit
out on counter overnight.
- In the morning, bubbles should be
present.
second night
(FRIDAY OR SATURDAY)
2.
In a large bowl, combine the water, about ½ cup of the sourdough
starter and 2 cups of flour. Return the rest of the starter to storage in the refrigerator.
3.
Mix well and cover with plastic wrap in a warm place 8-12 hours
(overnight).
third day (SATURDAY
or sunday) – plan on six hours (30 min. prep, 1 hr. baking)
4.
Next day stir in the salt and sugar and add flour 1/2 to 1 cup (½
wheat and ½ white) at a time to make a very stiff dough.
5.
Knead till smooth.
6.
Clean out bowl. Return dough to bowl. Cover and let rise 2 to
2-1/2 hours.
7. Punch down.
8.
Knead till smooth and form into round. Place on baking sheet
covered with parchment paper. Cover lightly (use a linen cloth) and let rise
till double and puffy (1 to 2 hrs).
9.
Place a small pan of water on bottom rack of oven and preheat
oven to 400°F.
10.
Cut two slashes across each other on top of loaf.
11.
Bake for 5 minutes. Spray with water.
12.
Bake for 5 more minutes. Spray with water.
13.
Bake for another 30 – 50 minutes until internal temperature
reaches 205 F.
14.
Allow bread to cool for at least two hours to develop the
sourdough flavor fully.
Variations:
- Could use all wheat flour.
- To make a rye, use ½ rye and ½ wheat. Also add about 2 – 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder and a handful of caraway seeds.
