|
|
FAMILY FAVORITE SOURDOUGH BREAD Starter: Put 2 cups tepid water into a wide-mouth 2 quart con- tainer (not metal). Sprinkle with 1 package active dry yeast and stir until dissolved with wooden spoon. Add 2 cups all- purpose flour (I prefer unbleached) and beat with electric beater or processor until smooth. Cover; place away from drafts and let ferment for 36 to 48 hours. Stir 3 times a day. Mixture will become bubbly and develop a yeasty aroma. Pour off 1 1/2 cups to use in one of the following recipes. To store the remainder, beat equal parts of warm water and flour into it. (Never add anything, but flour and water to the original starter.) Let stand, lightly covered, in warm place until mixture bubbles, approximately 5 hours. Cover and store in the refrigerator. The older the starter gets, the better it tastes. Use regularly. Stir from time to time. Two hours before you plan to make bread, stir the refrigerated starter and pour 1 1/2 cups into a 2 cup measure and allow to warm to room temperature. Sourdough White Bread: 1 pkg. active dry yeast 2 Tbsp. sugar 2 tsp. salt 1 1/2 c. starter (at room temperature) 3 1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour or 4 c. regular all-purpose flour 1 egg, slightly beaten Rinse a large mixing bowl with hot water. Put 1 cup warm water in bowl and sprinkle with the yeast. Stir in sugar, salt and starter. Add flour and mix thoroughly with hands or wooden spoon. Cover bowl with a sheet of plastic wrap and set in warm place free from drafts 1 hour or until doubled in bulk. Then, turn out on a heavily floured counter top, board or ideally a marble slab. Sprinkle generously with flour and knead, adding more flour if sticky. Knead at least 10 minutes to produce a fine-grained bread. Shape in 2 round loaves and set on warm cookie sheets, greased with solid vegetable shortening or other unsalted fat and sprinkled with cornmeal. Or put in two 1 1/2 quart casse- roles (well greased) or put in 2 greased 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pans. Cover and let rise 40 minutes or until doubled. Brush with egg and bake in a preheated 400 degrees oven for 30 to 35 min- utes. (Make diagonal slashes across top with razor blade or sharp knife.) Sourdough French Bread: Shape bread dough in 2 long loaves; put on greased cookie sheets and bake in a preheated 400 degrees oven with pan of hot water on bottom shelf 20 to 25 minutes. Whole Wheat Bread With Caraway Or Fennel Seed: Follow recipe for Sourdough White bread, using 2 cups each whole wheat and all-purpose flours. Add 2 tablespoons caraway seed or 1 tablespoon fennel seed with the sugar. Sprinkle greased sheets or pans with additional seed. Poppy Seed Or Sesame Seed Bread: Follow recipe for Sourdough White Bread, adding 3 tablespoons poppy or sesame seed with the sugar. Sprinkle greased sheets or pans with additional seed. This is a recipe from our database at Cookbooks On/Line! 1,000,000+ free recipes and free software at: http://www.cookbooks.com Accuracy is believed to be good, but is not guaranteed. This recipe posting is intended for personal use only. You can print a copy for yourself and/or your friends, but you cannot publish it or post it to any Internet or other public site without our permission. |