Sourdoughs Bread

Photo: flickr user grongar

Ingredients

none

Preparation

STEP I: CULTURE PREPARATION

Remove the culture from the refigerator

Add 1/2 cup of white flour and 1/2 cup warm water to the culture jar and mix briefly. The total mixture will be about 2 1/4 cups. It need not be lump free.

Proof at 85 deg. F. for 6 to 12 hours until actively fermenting (as shown by bubbles on the surface).

STEP II: THE FIRST PROOF

1) Mix all of the active culture with 3 cups of white flour and 2 cups of warm water in a 4 quart mixing bowl. It need not be lump free.

2) Proof at 85 deg. F. for 12 hours.

3) RETURN 1 cup of culture to the culture jar.

Add 1/3 cup of white flour and 1/3 cup of warm water and proof at 85 deg. F. for one hour. Then refrigerate immediately.

STEP III: THE SECOND PROOF

REMEMBER TO REFRIGERATE one cup of culture from the first proof before proceeding.

INGREDIENTS

4 cups culture from the first proof2 tablespoons butter1 cup milk2 teaspoons salt2 tablespoons sugar6 cups white flour

1) Melt the butter over moderate heat (or heat in the microwave), add the milk to the butter, warm briefly, add the salt and sugar, and stir until dis- solved. Add this mixture to the culture and mix well.

2) Add the flour a cup at a time until dough is too stiff to mix by hand. Then turn onto a floured board and knead in remaining flour until the dough is smooth and satiny.

3) Divide dough in half and form two balls.

4) Pat each ball into a one inch thick oval and form loaves by rolling from the long side, pinching the seam together as you roll the dough to form the loaf.

Place in greased loaf pans and proof at 85 deg. F. for 1 1/2 to 3 hours. When the dough rises 1 to 2 inches above lip of pan, it is ready to bake.

It helps if the dough can rise in a very humid place. When I am baking in the regular oven, I put the dough in a camping cooler with a bucket of hot water. This keeps the dough warm and humid. Problem: I have to stack the pans. If the dough rises above the lip, it hits the next pan and ruins the texture.

This is why I want to build a new proofing box.

If you use so much dough that it rises above the lip of the Dutch oven, then you have trouble. Takes experience to know how much dough to use.

This recipe can make 3 loaves fora 10" dutch oven, or one 10" and one 12". If it isn't quite warm enough, I place one or two coals on the lid of the dutch oven to let the bread rise.

6) Preheat the oven to 375 deg. F. Ten minutes after putting the bread in, reduce heat to 350 deg. F. and bake an additional 45 minutes.

When the bread is removed from the oven, brush crusts lightly with melted butter. Turn out of pans and cool on a wire rack.