Sourdough Bread

A few months ago, I ordered some sourdough starter from Goldrush Sourdough Products in the hopes of eventually baking a fresh loaf of sourdough bread.

I've been growing the starter for a couple of weeks.  The starter came in an envelope, I added warm water and flour and it started to grow.  I had to keep feeding it, and it kept (and still keeps getting) more sour.  Which is good!

 

Starter is a kind of weird substance.  It has a bit of an odd smell, and according to the directions "the green/gray liquid at the top of the starter is normal"... which sounds a bit unpleasant.  But it works.  And once you've grown the starter for a week or two, you can bake bread!  Here's how I did it:



Sourdough Bread

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
• 1 cup sourdough starter
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 2/3 cups bread flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in bread machine according to manufacturer's instructions.  Set for dough cycle..

After the dough cycle has finished and the bread has risen, knead the dough on a floured surface until the dough feels smooth and stretchy.

Form into loaves as desired, lightly cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free area until doubled in size (about 3 hours).

Preheat the oven to 475 F.  Place a pan with 1 -2 inches of water ont he bottom shelf of the oven.  When the water is visibly steaming, the oven is ready.  Place the dough pan in the middle of the oven and reduce the heat to 425 F.  Bake for 30 - 45 minutes, or until golden brown.

Cool baked bread on racks before cutting.

This wasn't my best bread-making attempt, but it did turn out quite good for a first sourdough attempt.  The taste was very good - quite sour, as I had hoped!  A little heavier than I would have liked, but I like the texture of a nice French or Italian bread.  And sourdough does tend to be a bit heavier.

If you'd like to try, you can get starter from Amazon here.  Or, if you live in the San Diego area, I've got some good starter going and am willing to share.

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