Classic Sourdough Bread
This one I haven’t tried yet, but am going to soon! The quick sourdough turned out wonderfully yesterday! I added the potato-rosemary flavour at my aunt’s. They had a great dinner and the desserts were even more flavourful:
If you plan to add additional ingredients, see the note below to ensure they are evenly distributed. Here’s how you get started:
- 1 cup wild yeast starter (see my previous note)
- 7 cups white bread flour, divided
- 4½ tsp dry yeast (or two packages: ¼ ounce or 8g)
- 2 tsp sugar, divided
- 2 tsp salt
Directions
- Mix sourdough starter, 2 cups warm (not hot) water and 5 cups flour in a large bowl. Mix well; cover with a dish towel and let rise overnight.
- Combine dry yeast, ¼ cup warm water, and ½ teaspoons sugar. Let stand until mixture bubbles, about 5 min.
- Add yeast mixture, salt and remaining 1 ½ teaspoons sugar to the flour mixture. Mix well. With your hands or a dough hook, knead while gradually adding up to 2 additional cups of flour, ½ cup at a time. Knead until a smooth, soft dough forms. Dough should be shiny and supple, not sticky and wet. Place dough in oiled bowl; cover with a clean dish towel and let rise about 2 hours.
- Punch down and divide in half for 2 large loaves or four smaller loaves. Knead each portion by hand on a lightly floured surface until smooth; shape into rounds. Place on a parchment- lined baking sheet and lightly cover with a dish towel. Let rise 1 hour, until double in size.
- Preheat oven to 375F. Slash tops of loaves with a sharp knife in an X shape. For a rustic look, sprinkle with flour. Optional: to help the bread form a crisp crust, place an ovenproof bowl filled with 2 cups of water in the bottom of oven to create steam OR during the first half of the baking time, spray the oven every ten minutes with water.
- Bake until loaves sound hollow when tapped on the bottom, about 45 minutes.
Flavours:
Olive Bread: saute 1 cup chopped kalamata olives, 1 chopped small yellow onion and 4 minced garlic cloves in 2 Tbs olive oil. Cook until onions are tender. Cool. Add to dough during first kneading and proceed with recipe.
Potato Rosemary: combine 1 cup mashed potatoes, plain and warm, with the original overnight mixture. Later, add 2-3 Tbs chopped fresh rosemary to dough during first kneading and proceed with recipe.
