Sourdough Bread

Now this is how a Sourdough Bread should look like. Your goal? The same as mine - make a loaf of sourdough that looks like this. There are 100's, if not more, variations for a good sourdough. This one is my take on this traditional bread. The difference? I don't use sugar, as such. I replaced the sugar with honey. If I could find Tupelo Honey, I'd use it. The closest that I can find is from WinCo's bulk honey - an orange honey that is pretty good and has that Tupelo blossom flavor. Well, sort of. It's close. Give this recipe a try. I hope you like it. Enjoy!

King Arthur’s Sourdough Bread
Rustic Sourdough Bread

Source: Bob Young adapted from Rustic Sourdough Bread: King Arthur Flour. The photo is from Baker's Banter.

This chewy loaf, with its deep-brown crust, can be made in two versions: with rich, deep, flavor, and very mild tang; or with assertive sour flavor, typical of a San Francisco sourdough loaf. Read our blog about this bread, with additional photos, at Bakers Banter Blog. This recipe was adapted by me from the King Arthur Flour web page and Bakers Banter Blog.

Ingredients:
1 c "fed" sourdough starter (See Note)
1½ c lukewarm Water, 100ºF
2 t instant Yeast
2 T Honey
2½ t Salt
5 c King Arthur's Unbleached All Purpose Flour

Directions:
1) Combine all of the ingredients, kneading to form a smooth dough.
2) Allow the dough to rise, in a covered bowl, until it's doubled in size, about 90 minutes.
3) Gently divide the dough in half; it'll deflate somewhat.
4) Gently shape the dough into two oval loaves, and place them on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and let rise until very puffy, about 1 hour. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 425°F.
5) Spray the loaves with lukewarm water.
6) Make two fairly deep horizontal slashes in each; a serrated bread knife, wielded firmly, works well here.
7) Bake the bread for 25 to 30 minutes, until it's a very deep golden brown. Remove it from the oven, and cool on a rack.

Note - To feed a sourdough starter:
Remove 1 cup of your starter and either give it away and let a friend start their own or make pancakes or waffles.
Add –
½ c 100°F Water
1 c King Arthur Unbleached All Purpose flour
Stir to completely blend and let sit 12 hours before using.

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