Recipe: Sourdough Bread

I guest-blogged this recipe a while ago, but I just realized that I haven't shared it here with you guys yet!

Here's my favorite (and my family's favorite) recipe for sourdough bread. It takes a little time, but it's so worth it. Enjoy!

Sourdough Bread

created by Living Learning, Eating

Step 1:     Stir together ½ cup of all-purpose flour, ½ cup

 of warm water, and 1/8 tsp instant dry yeast in a large bowl

Step 2:    Let sit, covered, in a warm place for 4 to 6 hours…or until you

remember that you were baking bread. ;) This is the sourdough starter

     Step 3: Mix in 2 cups of all-purpose flour and ¾ cup 

warm water. Mix until smooth. This is the sourdough sponge

    Step 4: Let rise, covered, for 4 to 8 hours in a warm place

 (or for up to 20 hours in a cooler place – like your garage)

Step 5:    Add 1.5 cups of all-purpose flour and 2 tsp of salt. You don’t add

the salt until this step, because it reduces the activity of the yeast! Knead for 8 to

10 minutes on a clean counter top, until the dough is elastic with small bubbles

 Step 6:   Roll the dough ball around in an oil-coated bowl until all surfaces are covered.

Let rise, covered with a kitchen towel, for about an hour, or until it has doubled in size

 Step 7: Punch down. Drape the kitchen towel in the bowl and sprinkle a 
light layer of flour over it. Turn the dough ball over itself until you have a nice 
loaf and put the loaf, seam side up, in the bowl. Flip the ends of the towel over 
the loaf and let rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes, or until doubled

  Step 8: Upend the loaf, carefully, out of the bowl and onto a greased 
baking sheet. Slice three diagonal slashes, about ½ inch deep, into the 
surface of the loaf. This helps the loaf bake evenly and makes it prettier! :P

Step 9: Slide a tray of boiling water into the bottom rack of your oven (preheated 

to 425F). Splash the walls of the oven with water and quickly close the oven door. 
With the tray (with the bread) in one hand, quickly open the oven again and slide 
the bread in. Enjoy your free facial, but don’t get too close – steam is HOT!

Step 10: Splash the walls of the oven ever four minutes, or so, for the first 15 minutes
 as the bread bakes. This makes that nice, chewy crust that artisan breads are famous for!

Step 11: Turn the oven temperature down to 375F and bake for another 25 
min, or until the loaf is golden and sounds hollow when you tap it on the bottom

   Step 12: Cool, then enjoy warm with butter (not nut butter, not margarine 

– butter. It’s delicious! You can eat it with jam/PB later, but the first warm 
slice has to be eaten like in the Good Olde Days – it’s a rustic loaf, after all)

What's your favorite kind of bread?

What recipes are you known for?

Do you have bread or cereal for breakfast more often?