- 2 cups warm water
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast, 1 packet
- 3.5 cups flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tbsp starter
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup room temp water
- pinch of sugar
- 4 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1.25 cups water
- 1 cup starter
Directions for starter:
- Combine starter ingredients in non metallic bowl (glass preferred). Leave in a warm place to ferment, 4 to 8 days. Depending on temperature and humidity of kitchen, times may vary. Place on cookie sheet in case of overflow. Check on occasionally.
- When mixture is bubbly and has a pleasant sour smell, it is ready to use. If mixture has a pink, orange, or any other strange color tinge to it, THROW IT OUT! and start over. Keep it in the refrigerator, covered until ready to bake.
- When you use starter to bake, always replace with equal amounts of a flour and water mixture with a pinch of sugar. So, if you remove 1 cup starter, replace with 1 cup water and 1 cup flour. Mix well and leave out on the counter until bubbly again, then refrigerate. If a clear to light brown liquid has accumulated on top, don't worry, this is an alcohol base liquid that occurs with fermentation. Just stir this back into the starter, the alcohol bakes off and that wonderful sourdough flavor remains! Sourdough starters improve with age, they used to be passed down generation to generation!
- Combine bread ingredients and mix:
- by hand 20 min
- mixer 7 minutes
- Place dough in greased bowl and let rise 45-60 minutes until doubled. I just leave it in the mixing bowl and put a lid on it to let it rise.
- Lightly grease loaf pan
- Deflate the dough (I just put the mixer back on with the dough hook for 1 minute)
- Place dough in loaf pan, let rise for 60-90 minutes
- Preheat oven to 350
- Bake bread for 40 minutes
- Remove bread from oven and let cool for a few minutes before serving.
I like serving with whipped garlic herb butter.
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