Source:Ana Maria Kruger. Indianapolis, IN 1996
Makes 12 servings.
Preparation time: 8 hours
Tips: Daily favorite. Makes great breakfast toast.
Ana Maria’s Sourdough Bread
Ingredients
Preparation
3 1/2 to 4 cups unbleached flour
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup warm water
1 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast
1 cup Ana Maria's Sourdough Starter
1 cup warm water
1. Dissolve dry yeast in 1/3 cup of warm water.
2. Mix 2 cups flour and salt. Add dissolved yeast, starter and remaining water. Mix with spoon or mixer using flat paddle for about 2 minutes.
3. Slowly add more flour to make a very soft dough. By hand or using bread hook and mixer, adding remaining flour until a soft none-sticky dough forms, knead dough about 8- 10 minutes. The dough should not be firm but holding it's shape. Use the minimum amount of flour to obtain a elastic none sticky dough. Dough will feel wet.
4. Place dough in generously floured bowl, sprinkle flour over dough , cover with plastic and let rise in a warm place.
FIRST RISE: about 3 - 4 hours. Punch dough, cover and let rise again.
SECOND RISE: about 1-2 hours. Dough is now ready to be shape into loaves.
5. Divide dough into 2, 3 o 4 pieces depending on loaf size desire. A 1/3 dough loaf is enough for 4 people/meal. Shape as desire: long or round loaves, folding and rolling dough with your hands to remove all air bubbles. For long loaves, place seam side up for a "Rustic look" effect. Dust loaves generously with flour. Place into baking sheet sprinkled with corn meal. Cover with a towel and let rise a last time.
THIRD RISE: about 1- 1.5 hour.
Preheat oven to 450F degrees about 30-45 minutes prior to baking time.
6. Using a sharp knife slit the top of each loaf 2 or 3 times diagonally or criss/cross.
7. When oven is up to temperature, place a pan of water at the bottom of the oven, this provides moisture for a harder crust. Bake loaves for about 20- 30 minutes, depending on the size. For large loaves, reduce temperature to 400 degrees after the initial 20 minutes of baking time.
Bread freezes well. To defrost and crisp the crust, place frozen bread in middle of oven, turn oven to 400 degrees and leave for about 10 minutes. Bread will be like freshly baked.
VARIATIONS:
NO COMMERCIAL YEAST: If you wish to use no commercial yeast at all, mix dough the night before as directed holding the dry yeast, and let rise over night in a cool place as the first rise.
WHOLE WHEAT BREAD: dough can be made with whole wheat flour, follow recipe using 1/2 wheat flour and 1/2 unbleached flour. Dough will feel some how stickier, do not over load with flour. For a stronger flavor, use Whole Wheat Starter instead of white starter.
RYE BREAD: For Rye bread, mix as directed, using 1 cup of Rye flour to replace 1 cup of the flour called for, and adding 1 Tbs. of malt syrup or brown sugar or sugar, as preferred. For a sweeter flavor use fermented apple cider instead of water, or partial replacement. Rye flour contains more bran and less gluten than other flours, the dough will be the stinkiest of all, do not over load with flour. Reduce kneading time to about 5 minutes.
NOTES :
1) One third dough loaf is sufficient for a 4 people/meal.
2) Start dough early morning and bake by dinner time
3) Dough tolerates extended FIRST and SECOND rise, watch THIRD rise carefully.
