Speedy Sourdough French Bread Recipes

SOURDOUGH FRENCH BREAD

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the Sourdough Starter, oil, sugar, salt and 3 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough additional flour to form a soft dough., Turn onto a floured surface; knead gently 20-30 times (dough will be slightly sticky). Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, 1 to 1-1/2 hours., Preheat oven to 400°. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Roll each into a 12x8-in. rectangle. Roll up, jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch ends to seal. Place seam side down on 2 greased baking sheets; tuck ends under. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. , With a sharp knife, make 4 shallow diagonal slashes across top of each loaf. In a small saucepan, combine water and cornstarch. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened. Brush some over loaves. , Bake for 15 minutes. Brush loaves with remaining cornstarch wash. Bake until lightly browned, 5-10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

SAN FRANCISCO STYLE SOURDOUGH FRENCH BREAD

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl dissolve yeast in warm water, mix with starter.
• Add 3 cups flour, sugar and salt, stir vigorously 2 or 3 minutes.
• Cover with a cloth, set in warm place and let rise 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until doubled in size.
• Mix baking soda with 1 cup of remaining flour and stir in, the dough should be stiff.
• Turn out onto a floured surface and begin kneading.
• Add the remaining 1 cup of flour or more if needed to control stickiness.
• Knead until satiny, between 5 and 10 minutes.
• Shape into 2 oblong loaves or 1 large round loaf, place on lightly greased cookie sheet.
• Cover with a cloth, set in warm place free from drafts and let rise 1 to 2 hours or until nearly doubled in size.
• Before baking, brush outside with water and make diagonal slashes across the top with a sharp single-edge razor blade.
• Put a shallow pan of hot water in the bottom of the oven.
• Bake at 400° F for 45 minutes or until the crust is a medium dark brown.

SPEEDY "SOURDOUGH" FRENCH BREAD

Steps:

• 1. Mix together warm water, sour cream, and vinegar in a small bowl. Set aside.
• 2. In a large mixing bowl combine 1 cup flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Add sour cream mixture to flour mixture. Blend together on low speed until moistened. Continue to blend on medium speed for 3-4 minutes.
• 3. By hand stir in 2-3 more cups of flour until dough pulls cleanly away from bowl.
• 4. On a well-floured surface knead in additional 1-2 cups of flour until dough is smooth and elastic. Place dough ball in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a clean dish towel. Let rise in a warm (80-85 degree) place until doubled. Approx. 30 minutes.
• 5. Grease a large sheet pan. Punch down dough and divide in half. Roll each half into a 14x8 rectangle. Roll, starting from a long side. Pinch seam and ends closed. Place seam side down on baking sheet. I have also shaped these loaves into rounds, typical of sourdough bread.
• 6. With a sharp knife make 4-5 1/4 inch deep diagonal slashes in the top of each loaf. Cover with clean dish towel and let rise in warm place until doubled again. (Approx. 20 min.)
• 7. Heat oven to 375*. Bake 30-35 minutes until golden and hollow sounding when tapped. Remove loaves immediately to a wire rack to cool.
• 8. **NOTE: I often make this dough in my bread machine. Add ingredients in the order prescribed by your machine manufacturer and use the dough setting. I usually add 4 cups of flour to start. After the first rise, knead in any additional flour to obtain the standard elastic dough. Rest dough five minutes before rolling out and continue at Step 5.

SOURDOUGH FRENCH BREAD

Steps:

• Put ingredients, in order listed, into bread machine pan.
• Set machine for dough cycle and start.
• At end of dough cycle, turn dough out onto a floured surface.
• If dough is too sticky, knead in a little additional flour.
• Divide dough into 2 equal portions and flatten each into a 1 1/2 inch thick oval.
• Fold oval in half once lengthwise and pinch seam to make an elongate loaf.
• Sprinkle cornmeal on a baking sheet and place the loaves on the sheet seam side down.
• Cover and let rise in a warm place (85 degrees F) until about doubled in bulk.
• Place a shallow pan of hot water on the lower shelf of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Make shallow slashes in tops of loaves with a razor blade or finely serrated knife, held at a 30 degree angle.
• Place the loaves in the oven and immediately spray them and the oven walls with water from a fine mister, and avoid spraying oven light.
• Repeat this spraying 3 additional times at one minute intervals.
• Continue baking for 30 to 40 minutes or until brown, but remove pan of water from oven after the first 15 minutes.
• Remove loaves from baking sheet and cool on wire racks.
• *To proof sourdough culture, start with 1/2 cup of culture and stir into it 1 1/2 cups warm water and 1 1/2 cups flour.
• Cover with plastic and let sit 8 to 12 hours (the longer it sits, the more 'sour' your bread will taste).
• At this point, measure out the 2 cups required and proceed with recipe; returning any extra to the starter pot to save in the refrigerator until you want to use it again.