Basic but Beautiful Sourdough Bread

"I like to bake these in 8 inch round pans, making a pretty loaf that's low on effort and very light. It's the first sourdough recipe I tried and I think it makes a good place to start if you're new to the whole process. The prep time includes rising times, but this could vary depending on how quickly your starter rises. Mine seems to be pretty quick."
 
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photo by SaraFish photo by SaraFish
photo by SaraFish
Ready In:
3hrs 5mins
Ingredients:
5
Yields:
2 loaves
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ingredients

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directions

  • Pour the sponge in a bowl and add the sugar, salt and oil or margarine.
  • Mix well and then knead in the flour a half-cup at a time.
  • Knead in enough flour to make a good, flexible bread dough- you may use slightly more or less than the three cups indicated, depending on how runny your starter is.
  • Just keep adding until it looks like any other bread dough.
  • You can add the flour by hand, with an electric mixer, a bread machine on dough cycle or a food processor.
  • Find a warm place and let the dough rise, covered loosely by a towel (I use my airing cupboard but a slightly warm oven works well too-- don't keep it on, just turn it on for a moment to warm it up before turning it off and putting the dough in).
  • If you're using a bread machine's dough cycle, let it rise in the machine.
  • Note that sourdough rises more slowly than yeast bread.
  • Just let it keep going until it's doubled in bulk.
  • Punch the dough down and knead it a little more.
  • Make a loaf and place it on a lightly greased baking sheet.
  • Slit the top if you like, and cover the loaf with a paper towel and place it in a warm place to rise again, until doubled in bulk.
  • Place the pan with the loaf in your oven, and then turn your oven to 350 F or 190 C and bake the bread for 30-45 minutes.
  • Do not preheat the oven.
  • The loaf is done when the crust is brown and the bottom sounds hollow when thumped with a wooden spoon.
  • Turn the loaf out onto a cooling rack or a towel and let it cool for an hour before slicing.

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Reviews

  1. This is a very good white sourdough bread. I also used my bread machine on the dough cycle but DID NOT let it rise in the machine. Sourdough breads made with wild yeast...rise better if they are only raised once. (I used a wild yeast starter.) I removed the dough after the kneading stopped. (20 -30 min in most machines) Then I sprayed the dough with Pam, shaped it into a loaf and placed it into a large greased stonewear loaf pan, which I covered lightly with plastic wrap. I let the dough raise for about 3-4 hours and got a nice light texture as a result. It was done in 33 minutes. Thanks Sackville Girl.
     
  2. I used this recipe for my first try at sourdough bread. It came out perfectly and didn't last 30 minutes after my husband came home from work.
     
  3. This came out great! I used my starter and some Bob's Red Mill white bread flour. Very tasty. It took about 35 minutes in the oven. Barbara
     
  4. This is an excellent loaf of bread! I let my bread machine do most of the work. Using the dough cycle, I placed the 3 cups of flour in first (I used all-purpose flour). Then I mixed the starter, olive oil, sugar and salt in a small bowl. I started the machine so the paddle was turning as I slowly poured the starter mixture in. The ratio of wet to dry ingredients is perfect, the dough is elastic and smooth and not too sticky to handle. After my machine was done with the dough, I turned it out on my board and kneaded it a bit more before putting it in my Pam'ed glass loaf pan. It took 40 minutes to bake to a light brown. The bread is moist, chewy and moderately dense in the middle with a wonderful thump-able crusty crust. Thanks, Friedel! I've uplaoded a picture too!
     
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

This is a picture of me and my husband in Portugal, climbing up above the clouds with our bikes. Right now we are travelling around the world on our bicycles, so I only pop onto Zaar occasionally, when internet connections and time allow me to. If I don't reply to a message about one of my recipes, now you know why! Our trip may take several years so if it's urgent, it's probably better for you to post in the forums ;) Good food is really important to me -- I am happy to pay extra for food that I feel is produced in a sustainable and ethical way and always try to eat using seasonal produce. When we were in the UK we rarely shopped at supermarkets, trying instead to favour small producers, although we were very lucky in that we lived in London and there was lots of choice. We also were fortunate enough to have a weekly organic veg box delivered to our door, filled with so many lovely vegetables for very little money. It really opened my horizons in terms of the variety of vegetables I eat. If you're in the UK, check out Riverford for a box supplier as they're amazing! When I'm not eating I love to take pictures and travel with my husband. <img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/DUCHESS13/World%20Tour/ZWT2.gif">
 
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