Sourdough Starter For Classic Sourdough Bread Recipes

SOURDOUGH STARTER

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.

CLASSIC SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl stir together 3 cups of the flour, the water, and Sourdough Starter until smooth. Cover bowl with waxed paper or plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature 4 hours. Place bowl in refrigerator; chill overnight.
• Stir in salt and as much of the remaining flour as you can. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a smooth dough (2 to 3 minutes). Place in a greased bowl, turning to grease surface of dough. Cover and let rise at room temperature about 2 hours or until slightly increased in size (you may see a few bubbles).
• Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Turn dough out onto a floured surface; gently divide in half. Shape each dough half into an oval loaf. Place loaves on prepared baking sheet and cover with greased plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature about 2 hours or until nearly double in size.
• Preheat oven to 425°F. Using a sharp knife, make three or four diagonal cuts across top of each loaf. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until bread is golden and sounds hollow when lightly tapped. Remove from baking sheet; cool on wire racks. Sourdough Starter
• In a large glass or plastic container* stir together flour and the water. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Set in a warm place (about 70°F) and let stand 24 hours.
• Stir in an additional 1 cup flour and 1/2 cup water. Cover loosely; let stand in a warm place 24 hours more. Repeat every day for 5 to 7 days or until very bubbly and aromatic. Starter is ready to use at this point.
• If not using, to keep at room temperature, feed starter by stirring in an additional 1 cup flour and 1/2 cup water. Let stand in a warm place overnight. Repeat daily. Or keep starter in the refrigerator and feed once a week. To use, let chilled starter come to room temperature before measuring. Remove desired amount. Feed remaining starter and let stand at room temperature 24 hours before chilling again. When the amount of starter gets to be too much, remove half before feeding and either share with a friend or discard.

SOURDOUGH STARTER (FOR CLASSIC SOURDOUGH BREAD)

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in water in a large plastic container (gallon size works well). Add sugar. When yeast bubbles (about 10 minutes), stir in flour until you have a smooth paste.
• Cover loosely to allow gases to escape and place in a warm spot in your kitchen 2 to 3 days. The mixture should bubble and give off a sour odor. Stir starter once a day, making sure to stir in any crust that's formed. After this point, you can store starter in the refrigerator or leave it out in a cool, dark area of your kitchen.
• Feed starter by stirring in 1 cup all-purpose flour and 1/2 cup water every day if you leave it out, or every few days if it's refrigerated; otherwise, it will become too acidic and eventually die.
• Once starter has grown a few weeks and has reached full strength, you can decrease feedings to once a week.
• If you don't use your starter regularly, it's going to get unruly and burst the bounds of it's container. Give some away to friends along with feeding and baking instructions.

SOURDOUGH BREAD STARTER

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water, rest for ten minutes.
• Mix in flour, sugar& remaining water.
• Allow to stand, loosely covered, in a warm place for 3 or 4 days. Use a large (preferably ceramic) bowl as it will rise considerably.
• Every time the batter is used to make a product set aside 1 cup to be used as a"starter" for another batch.
• Keep covered in the fridge (a pint jar works nicely).
• To make it into a basic batter again, add another 2 cups flour& 2 cups warm water and allow to stand at room temp overnight It is now ready to use, but again reserve a cup of the starter.

CLASSIC SAN FRANCISCO SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the water, sourdough starter and 4 cups of flour.
• Mix well and cover with plastic wrap in a warm place 8-12 hours (I do it over night).
• The next day stir in the salt and sugar and add flour 1/2 to 1 cup at a time to make a very stiff dough .
• Knead till smooth.
• Cover and let rise 2 to 2-1/2 hours.
• Punch down and divide in half.
• Knead till smooth and form into rounds. Place on a greased baking sheet. Cover lightly and let rise till double and puffy (1 to 1-2 hrs).
• While this is rising mix the 1/2 cup water and 1/2 tsp cornstarch in a small bowl and microwave till boiling, remove from heat and let cool.
• Heat oven to 400°F.
• Carefully place a small pan of hot water on the bottom rack of the oven.
• Cut two slashes across each other on top of each loaf.
• Bake for 10 minutes.
• Pull out the rack and baste each loaf well with the cornstarch mixture.
• Close the oven and allow to bake another 20-25 minutes. Loaves should be a light golden color and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
• You are suppose to allow this to cool for 2 hrs to develop the sourdough flavor fully -- we wait maybe 30-45 minutes!