Sourdough Bread

After discovering that making and keeping a sourdough starter was a heckuva lot easier than most people make it out to be, I've been having fun experimenting with bread.

If you read my Making a Sourdough Starter post, you'll recall that I was going to make some changes in how the starter was handled so I could get a more sour tasting bread: Instead of feeding my starter at 100% hydration (1 part flour/1 part water), I began feeding it at 50% (2 parts flour/1 part water). I omitted sugar from the recipe and I refrigerated the sponge overnight, which I'd read would increase the sourness of the bread. None of these things produced a more sour tasting bread. I opted to buy some citric acid from King Arthur Flour. I added 1 teaspoon to my recipe and we were pleased to find that it gave a really nice tang to the bread. My original recipe didn't call for active yeast, depending instead on the natural rising ability of the starter/sponge. Although this would work, it takes forever for the bread to rise. Since my middle name isn't Patience, I didn't wait long enough for a proper rise and ended up with sad looking, tough, and hard baguettes. So, I decided to rewrite the recipe and add yeast to it to speed up the rising time of the dough.

On the far loaf of bread in the above picture, you can see black specks in the bread. I added some of KA Flour's Harvest Grains Blend - a mix of four grains (whole oat berries, millet, rye flakes, wheat flakes) and four seeds (flax, poppy, sesame, sunflower).

If you have a sourdough starter and make this recipe, I'd love to hear how it turned out!

Sourdough Bread - PRINT RECIPE

Ingredients:

2 c warm water

6-8 c flour

1 c sourdough starter

2 tsp active yeast

2 tsp salt

1 tsp citric acid, optional

1 egg white + 1 T water

The night before baking, make a sponge by combining:

2 c warm water

1 c sourdough starter

4 c flour

Mix well, cover with plastic wrap and leave on counter overnight.

The next day:

Put sponge into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add 2 teaspoons each of salt and yeast. Add enough flour (approximately 3 to 5 cups), 1/2 cup at a time, to make a stiff dough. If using, add the citric acid with the first addition of flour.

Transfer the dough to a large bowl that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 2 to 2-1/2 hours.

Punch down dough and cut into thirds. Knead a few times until smooth and form into rounds or loaves. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover lightly with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with cooking spray and let rise until doubled and puffy, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Heat oven to 400°F.

Spray a serrated knife with cooking spray and quickly cut w or 3 slashes across top of loaves.

Mix 1 egg white with 1 tablespoon of water and brush onto risen loaves. Bake loaves for 20-25 minutes, or until they are golden in color and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Let cool completely before slicing.