Sourdough Bread - Recipe

Good morning,

Yesterday I published instructions to make your own sourdough culture.

Today I'm sharing the recipe for sourdough bread that is such a favorite in our home. Each sourdough enthusiast has a different twist on this process, but the basics are always the same.

Enjoy some great bread today!  Comments or questions?  Please ask. 

Lois

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Sour Dough Bread - Recipe

2 cups sourdough culture

1 egg

1 t salt

1 t sugar

2.5 cups flour

Place all ingredients in large capacity bread machine in order given. Set on dough cycle and turn on.

The first dough cycle on most machines is about 40 minutes. Watch the action to be sure a dough ball forms at least 1/3 way through the cycle. Add a little flour or water if necessary to get the correct consistency.

When first dough cycle finished, remove from machine and place in a greased bowl for first rise. Place the bowl in a warm place such as the oven with the light, but no heat turned on. If you place it out on the counter in a warm place, cover with a damp cloth. This batch required about three hours for the first rise. Keep in mind that the temperature in your kitchen and the mood of the sour dough yeast can change the time required for the dough to rise.

After the first rise, knead the dough to remove bubbles, then roll in corn meal. Place it in a bowl for a second rise. This will take about two additional hours.

I used a clay baker for this large round loaf of sourdough bread. When you see the dough has just about finished rising for the second time, preheat the empty baker itself to 450 F degrees.  I use my second oven for this while the dough is still in the bowl rising in the other oven.

When it is finished rising the second time, invert onto a a large plate, then gently slide it to the bottom plate of the preheated clay baker, cover, and place in 450 F oven for 30 minutes. Turn temperature down to 350 and bake for an additional 1.5 hours.

There is no commercial yeast in this recipe so the flavor will be that of the sourdough itself.  It will have a different sourdough flavor from one part of the world to another.  You can purchase sourdough cultures or make your own sourdough culture per the instructions in yesterday's article.

You can also make this recipe without the egg, salt, and sugar to have the most basic sourdough bread possible, but I prefer those ingredients to add a little texture and flavor to the finished product.

Click here for more of my bread recipes.

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Romertopf Clay Baker 111 

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