Perfect Sourdough Bread

Sourdough bread is great buttered, toasted, served with dinner, or used for sandwiches. 

In my opinion, bread making is an art and a science.

There is a special pleasure working with bread and just the aroma of baking bread throughout the house is well worth the effort.

I grew up eating my mother’s homemade bread.  We would beg and beg her to make it and it was always eaten hot from the oven covered with butter.  
My mother never looked at a recipe to make her bread, she just mixed it up and it was perfect. Every Single Time. Sigh.

I can't just whip up a loaf of bread, I always have the recipe right next to me and I have been practicing for years.  In the past, I’ve had as many bread failures as successes I think, but I kept at it. 

Using a sourdough starter is an ancient method to make leavened bread.

The sourdough starter consists of small amounts of basic bread ingredients such as flour, water, or milk. The mixture is left out to attract wild yeasts from the air. The yeasts feed on the starch in the flour, resulting in the fermentation and souring of the mixture. The older the sourdough starter the better the flavor, in my opinion.

My bubbly Sourdough Starter

Most good bread dough recipes call for two risings.  Although rising times are given on most recipes, it is good to know that the times stated are not precise.  How long the rising may take will depend on many factors such as the temperature of the room, the amount of yeast used, and even the weather.

Also, I say this for many of my recipes, but it needs repeating: the better the ingredients the better the end product.  Use the products and brands you like but know there is a difference in quality from one brand to another.  

Start with good quality ingredients

For this recipe I used:

    King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour (Regular or Organic)

    Raw honey

    Real butter
    Natural Sea Salt
    My own raised eggs

    My own Homemade Sourdough Starter

Sourdough Bread Recipe

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Ingredients:

1 1⁄2 cups lukewarm water (100°F)

4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 cup Sourdough Starter (click here for the recipe)
1 tablespoon honey

6 cups unbleached bread flour, (plus more as needed)

1 tablespoon butter, melted

2 eggs

2 1⁄2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal mixed with 2 tablespoons bread flour

First combine water, yeast, sourdough starter, and honey

Directions:

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the water, yeast, sourdough starter and honey.

Beat on low speed just until smooth, about 1 minute.

Cover and let rise until double, about 1 hour

Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Switch to the flat beater on your mixture and stir the starter mixture on low speed. 

Add 3 cups of flour, butter, eggs, and salt. Increase the speed to medium-low and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Add 2 more cups of the flour and beat for 2 minutes.

With beater add 3 cups flour, butter, eggs, and salt.  Add 2 more cups of flour and beat.

Switch to the dough hook. Reduce the speed to low and add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating until a very soft dough forms that pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Knead on low speed, adding flour 1 tablespoon at a time if the dough sticks, until smooth, springy and moist, about 6 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Using dough hook, knead on low

Brush the bowl with melted butter and place the dough in the bowl,  turning the dough to coat it. 

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until slightly more than doubled in bulk, 1 ½  to 2 hours.

Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 -1/2 to 2 hours

While the dough is rising, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle with the cornmeal mixture. 

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board. Divide the dough into 3 equal portions and shape each into a tight, round loaf. 

Shape sourdough into 3 round loaves

Place the loaves, seam side down and at least 4 inches apart, on the prepared baking sheet. 

Sprinkle the tops of loaves with flour and rub in. Cover loosely with a double layer of plastic wrap and let rise in the refrigerator for 8 to 12 hours.
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Remove loaves from the refrigerator and remove plastic wrap.
Using a thin, sharp knife, make 3 gentle slashes across the top of each loaf. 

Using a thin, sharp knife make 3 slashes across each loaf

Place the baking sheet in the oven at 450°F and bake for about 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 400°F and bake until the loaves are golden brown, approximately 20 to 25 minutes more. 

Let cool completely on wire racks before slicing and serving. Makes 3 small round loaves.

This recipe was adapted from a Williams Sonoma cookbook I received as a gift.

To make rolls.

This recipe also makes great rolls and buns.  Just divide the dough into desired roll shape and follow the same directions for loaves except do not slice the tops.

Baking time should also be reduced.  Bake until golden brown. 

Sourdough Rolls

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For storage, sourdough bread freezes well.  First, cover with a double layer of aluminum foil then place in a freezer storage bag.  Label with contents and date.

Tomorrow I’m making Hoagie Buns with this same recipe to use for homemade Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches.  Yum!

Elizabeth

Other Recipes:

Sourdough Starter

Hearty Beer Bread

Indian Taco (Fry Bread)