Rustic Sourdough Bread With Starter Recipes

Steps:

• 1. Starter:Pour the water into a 3- to 4-quart glass or ceramic container or bowl, and add dissolve the sugar or honey and the yeast in that order. Stir in the flour gradually. Cover the jar or bowl with a clean dishcloth and place it somewhere warm. By using a dishcloth instead of plastic wrap, you'll allow any wild yeast in the area to infiltrate and begin to work with the domestic yeast which itself is beginning to develop "wild" characteristics and flavors. The mixture will begin to bubble and brew almost immediately. Let it work anywhere from 2 to 5 days, stirring it about once a day as it will separate. When the bubbling has subsided and a yeasty, sour aroma has developed, stir your starter once more and refrigerate it until you are ready to use it. The starter should have the consistency of pancake batter. no metal! wood,glass or plastic bowls and or spoons for this batter as metal will break down the yeast and it will not work right.
• 2. you will want to feed the beast (as my children say) one 1/2 cup of flakes,and flour and 1/4 cup of warm water. mix well with a wooden or plastic spoon and separate the amount you will need and store the rest in a air tight none glass container(as this will breath and need room to expand). remember to release the air every day for the first few days as to insure no messes in the fridge from the beast getting out. let batter rest for 30min after feeding as not to over work the batter.
• 3. 1) Combine all of the ingredients, kneading to form a smooth dough. 2) Allow the dough to rise, in a covered bowl, until it's doubled in size, about 90 minutes. punch down and let sit 15 min to rest, 3) Gently divide the dough in half; it'll deflate somewhat. 4) Gently shape the dough into two oval loaves; or, for longer loaves, two 10" to 11" logs. Place the loaves on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and let rise until very puffy, about 1 hour. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 425°F. 5) Spray the loaves with lukewarm water. 6) Make two fairly deep diagonal slashes in each; a serrated bread knife, wielded firmly, works well here. 7) Bake the bread for 25 to 30 minutes, until it's a very deep golden brown. Remove it from the oven, and cool on a rack.
• 4. the crust is very hard. i found by brushing with warm water and butter before and during baking it softens the crust. remember to place three splits along top of loaves before baking other wise crust will crack and split . you can sprinkle dried onion or sesame seed on crust before baking. for add flavor. for a onion sourdough sprinkle 1/4 cup dehydrated onion in dough while mixing.

Steps:

• In large non-metallic bowl, mix together dry yeast, 2 cups warm water, and 2 cups all purpose flour and cover loosely.
• 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!
• Use this starter to make the Sourdough Chocolate Cranberry Cake, and the Sourdough Chocolate Cake.

Steps:

• In a measuring cup combine the warm water and potato flakes.
• In a large ceramic bowl whisk together the yogurt, buttermilk, yeast and sugar (I use my 6 quart crockpot crock).
• Whisk in the potato water.
• Whisk in the flour until mixture is smooth.
• Cover with a loose lid or a large kitchen towel. DO NOT use a tight fitting lid-the gas from the starter could cause your container to explode.
• Set aside on your counter and leave it alone for 24 hours.
• Next morning.
• In the bowl of your KA or standing mixer combine the warm water, sugar and yeast.
• Give it a good whisk and let stand for 5 minutes.
• Whisk egg in a small bowl or measuring cup.
• Add starter to the bowl of your KA mixer-whisk well.
• To the yeast mixture add the egg, oil and 2 cups of flour.
• Give that a good whisk to get it somewhat smooth.
• Attach dough hook and turn mixer on to 1 or 2 (low speed).
• Add one cup of flour and kneed for 2-3 minutes.
• Add another cup of flour and kneed for 2-3 minutes.
• Add 1/2 cup of flour and kneed for 4-5 minutes.
• You will want your dough to to be tacky but not sticky-by that I mean you want your dough to "just" pull away from the side of your mixing bowl.
• Turn out onto a lightly floured board or counter.
• Flour hands lightly and kneed for 2 or 3 minutes forming a nice ball-again it will feel tacky and somewhat soft.
• Turn into a large oiled bowl, turning once to cover ball entirely.
• Let rise 1 and 1/2 hours, or until double in bulk.
• Punch down and divide dough in half.
• Shape dough into whatever form you wish.
• I make one round loaf using a small, oiled cast iron skillet dusted with corn meal, the other I shape into a Italian Style loaf on a greased cookie sheet dusted with corn meal.
• Brush tops with oil, cover and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
• Slash tops with a razor blade or VERY sharp knife.
• Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 30 minutes or until loaves sound hollow when tapped.
• Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes.
• Remove bread from pans/sheets and let cool on wire rack.

Steps:

• Place 2 1/3 cups water, 2 cups + 2 TBS sourdough starter, yeast and bread flour in the bowl of a mixer and stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, just to moisten. Fit the mixer with a dough hook and mix the dough on medium speed for 6 minutes. Turn the mixer off and allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.
• Add salt and mix on medium speed for 2 more minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary.
• Place milk, olive oil and remaining 1/3 cup water in a small bowl and stir together. With the mixer on low speed, very gradually add the liquids to the dough. Don't add the liquids too rapidly or they will slosh out of the bowl. Continue mixing on low until the ingredients are completely incorporated and then beat on high speed for 4 minutes.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to ferment at room temperature for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until it reaches the top of the bowl and doubles in volume. Sprinkle the work surface heavily with flour and pour the dough out to form a rough oval. Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour, cover it with a cloth and allow it to rest for 20 minutes.
• Cut 2 pieces of parchment paper approximately 12 x 16-inches and place them side-by-side on the work surface. Sprinkle the papers heavily with the semolina, then with bread flour. Uncover the dough and sprinkle the top with more bread flour.
• In a single continuous motion, cut the dough with a dough cutter into 2 equal pieces, carefully pulling the dough apart with your free hand as you go. Without pausing, carefully scoop up 1 piece of the dough, using the dough cutter and your free hand to hold each end, and lay the dough on a pieces of parchment paper, allowing the dough to stretch as it falls to form an oblong shape approximately 8 x 10 inches in area and 1 1/2 inches thick. It's more important to get the proper thickness than the right width or length. Repeat the procedure with the second piece of dough.
• Using your index fingers, dimple each piece of dough at random 2-inch intervals, being sure to press through all the way through to the parchment paper.
• Lightly sprinkle the dough tops with bread flour and semolina. Cover each with a cloth and allow them to proof at room temperature for 2 hours. Test for readiness by lightly pressing two fingers into the dough. The dough should feel soft and alive, not longer sticky.
• Open the oven door and heavily spritz the oven with water from a spray bottle and quickly close the door. Keeping the parchment paper under the dough, slide the baker's peel (a large baking spatula) under 1 piece of dough.
• Open the oven door, slide the dough and the parchment paper onto a pizza stone and quickly close the door. Spritz and load the second piece of dough in the same manner as the first. Turn the temperature down to 450°F Spritz the oven with water 2 more times during the next 5 minutes. Refrain from opening the oven door for 15 minutes.
• After 15 minutes, slide the peel between the bread and the parchment paper and remove the paper. Return the bread to the baking tiles and rotate if necessary to ensure even baking. Continue baking another 5 minutes. With the peel, flip the bread upside down to allow even browning. Bake another 5 to 8 minutes for a total of 30 to 33 minutes. Remove the loaves from the oven and place them on a cooling rack. When the bread is cooled, dust off excess flour.

Steps:

• First make your starter. In a large jar (a 1litre kilner jar is good) or plastic container, mix 100g of the flour with 125ml slightly warm water. Whisk the batter until smooth and lump free, whisking will help incorporate some airborne yeast particles to get your starter going. Leave the jar or container lid ajar for an hour or so in a warm place (around 25C is ideal), then seal and set aside for 24 hrs.
• For the next 6 days you will need to 'feed' the starter each day. To do this, tip away half the original starter and add an extra 100g of flour and 125ml slightly warm water, whisking well each time, try to do this at roughly the same time everyday. After 3-4 days you should start to see bubbles appearing on the surface, and it will smell yeasty and a little acidic. This is a good indication that the starter is working. The time it takes for fermentation to begin can vary between 1 to 5 days depending on temperature and environment, persevere for up to 6 days, if you still don't see any signs of life, or the starter smells unpleasant, throw it away and start again. On the 8th day the starter should be quite bubbly and smell much sweeter. It is now ready to bake with.
• Now you can make your first loaf. Tip the flour, 225ml warm water, salt, honey and sourdough starter into a large bowl, or a table top mixer fitted with a dough hook. Stir with a wooden spoon, or on a slow setting in a machine, until combined, adding a little extra flour if it's too sticky or a little extra warm water if it's too dry. Tip onto a work surface and knead for about 10 mins until soft and elastic, if using a mixer, turn the speed up a little and mix for 5 mins. The dough is ready when it bounces back when gently pressed with a finger.
• Place the dough in a large, well oiled bowl and cover with an oiled sheet of cling film. Leave in a warm place to rise for 3 hrs. You may not see much movement after this time, but don't be disheartened, sourdough takes much longer to rise than a conventional yeasted bread.
• Line a medium-sized bowl with a clean tea towel and flour it well, if you have a proving basket you can use this. Tip the dough back onto your work surface and knead briefly to knock out any air bubbles. Shape the dough into a smooth ball and dust it with flour. Place the dough, seam side up, in the bowl or proving basket, cover with a sheet of oiled cling film and leave for 6-8 hrs, until roughly doubled in size.
• Place a large baking tray in the oven, set to 230C/210C fan/gas 8, to heat up. Fill a small roasting tin with a little water and place this in the bottom of the oven to create some steam. Remove the large tray from the oven, sprinkle with flour then carefully tip the risen dough onto the tray.You can slash the top a few times with a sharp knife if you like. Bake for 35-40 mins until golden brown and hollow sounding when tapped. Leave to cool on a wire rack for 20 mins before serving.