SANDRA'S SOUR DOUGH BREAD -- with wheat and herb options

A wonderful texture and tremendous flavor
you're bound to fall in love with...

Yield: 1 loaf

Bake: 35 Minutes

INGREDIENTS:

Sponge:

1/4 cup pre-fed sour dough starter (stir beforehand)

1 cup AP (All-Purpose) Flour

1 cup warm water

Mix together all the sponge ingredients in a large glass measure, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit a minimum of 12 hours before making sour dough bread.

Sponge you'll prepare 12 hours
prior to making sour dough bread
and will leave at room temperature

Replenish Starter (replenish, cover and let sit out for 12 hrs, then return to frig):

1 cup warm water

1 cup AP flour

Using a wooden spoon and a glass measuring cup, mix together replenish starter ingredients and pour into jar with sour dough starter. Cover and let stand at room temperature 12 hours before refrigerating.

Don't forget to replenish your
starter after removing
a portion for your sponge
~~~~
Sandra's Sour Dough Starter
recipe

Dough:

2-1/4 teaspoons regular yeast

1/2 cup warm water

1 tablespoon agave

2-1/3 cups AP flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour (or the same AP)

2 teaspoons kosher salt

--Herb Options: 2 tsp (more/less, to taste) finely chopped fresh rosemary 

   or 1 tsp dried (or any other herb you desire)

2 tablespoons melted butter, for brushing loaf halfway through baking, including when finished baking

METHOD

For the dough, in a stand mixer bowl fitted with a dough hook, dissolve yeast and 1/2 cup warm water, add agave, stir with a spoon and allow to proof for 5-10 minutes.

Stir in sponge, add AP flour (and whole wheat flour, if using), salt (and herb option(s), if using). Turn mixer on #2 to combine, increase speed to #3 and continue mixing until dough comes away from sides of bowl to form ball (adding additional water 1 TB at a time if needed, depending upon surrounding humidity environment). Continue to knead on #3 for 8 minutes.

Place dough on oiled plastic wrap. Clean mixing bowl, then lightly spray with canola oil, place dough ball back into mixing bowl and turn over to coat in oil all around. Cover with plastic wrap. Nest bowl on kitchen towels, both underneath and around it.  Let dough rise until doubled for 1-1/2 hours.

Turn dough out onto a lightly oiled surface; knead into a rectangle shape of your loaf pan. Let rest 5 minutes, then place in a sprayed, dark loaf pan, reshaping loaf a bit if need be. Cover with a clean cloth, and allow to rise until doubled, about 30-45 minutes.

Meanwhile, allow oven to preheat to 375 degrees at end of dough rising time. Set aside an instant read thermometer.

Bake for 15 minutes, removed par-baked loaf and brush with melted butter, then return to oven and continue baking 20 minutes longer, or until internal temperature reads 192 degrees. (Note: If using a light or glass loaf pan, cooking times will vary in that it'll take longer to bake and won't brown as nicely.)

Brush loaf final time with melted butter while loaf is hot and still in pan, slide a knife around edges to loosen, then remove loaf from pan to a rack on its side. Cover loaf completely with clean kitchen towels and let cool for a minimum of 2 hours before storing in a plastic bag.

Store at room temperature for 2 days, then refrigerate to store longer. ~ Enjoy!

A loaf of
Sour Dough-Rosemary Bread
I started last night (i.e., the sponge)
and finished the actual bread-baking portion this morning

SANDRA'S HOMEMADE SOUR DOUGH STARTER

Keep starter on hand to use in preparing sour dough recipes found throughout 

"Sandra's Alaska Recipe" site. 

Starters can be thick or thin but both will work equally well, 

although the amount of flour needed in an actual recipe will vary 

according to consistency of the starter and 

the surrounding humidity of your particular environment...

Yields Approximately 2-1/2 cups

Prep Time 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 envelope Active Dry Yeast or 2-1/4 tsps.

2 cups warm water (100° to 110° degrees)

METHOD

Combine flour and un-dissolved yeast in large plastic, ceramic or glass bowl (don’t use metal).  Gradually add warm water to flour mixture and beat until smooth.  (Batter may be stiff, but will relax as it ages or when brought back to room temperature after refrigeration.)  Cover with a cloth towel or cheesecloth; let stand in warm place until mixture is bubbly and sour-smelling, about 2 to 4 days. Starter may darken, but if it changes to another color, discard and start over.  

The initial sour dough starter
that is prepared and ready to be transferred to an
airtight container

Transfer to a 2-quart or larger mason jar or plastic container with tight-fitting lid.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Sour dough starter
that has fully fermented 2-4 days at room temperature,
which is ready to use or to be refrigerated, which will need to be
replenished weekly

To keep starter alive you need to replenish it:  Once a week, stir in equal amounts of all-purpose flour and warm water (100° to 110°F).  (For example, for every 1 cup of starter removed, replenish with 1 cup flour and 1 cup water.)  Beat using a wooden spoon (not metal) until smooth.  Cover with a towel or cheesecloth and let stand in warm place until mixture is bubbly and sour-smelling, for a minimum of 12 hours.  Use immediately or cover tightly and refrigerate until ready to use.

In preparing actual sour dough recipes,
you'll be required to use different amounts of sponge and it's
best to use sour dough starter straight from the refrigerator
(yes, it's prior to replenishing it)... 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tips:

A few dynamics of sourdough: 

The less-used your starter is, the more fermented liquid on top, the more sour it's likely to be; i.e., a starter that hasn't been fed for weeks will yield a dough that rises slowly and tastes quite tangy. 

On the other hand, a starter that's fed regularly, i.e., once a week, will yield a less-sour dough tang and one that will rise more quickly.

FOR MY 

SOUR DOUGH BREAD -- with wheat and herb options, 

CLICK the LINK below:

SANDRA'S SOUR DOUGH BREAD 

-- with wheat and herb options