Extra Tangy Sourdough Bread Recipes

HOMEMADE SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• Bring sourdough starter to room temperature.
• In a large mixing bowl combine 2-1/2 cups of the flour and the yeast; set aside.
• In a saucepan heat and stir water, sugar, butter, and salt just until warm (120-130 deg.) and butter almost melts.
• Add to flour mixture.
• Add sourdough starter.
• Beat with until mixed and smooth, scraping bowl.
• Stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.
• On a lightly floured surface knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic.
• Shape into a ball.
• Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface.
• Cover and let rise until doubled.
• Punch dough down.
• Turn out on a lightly floured surface.
• Divide in half.
• Cover and let rise for 10 minutes.
• Lightly grease a large baking sheet and sprinkle with cornmeal.
• Shape each half of the dough into a ball, place on baking sheet, flatten to about a 6-inch circle.
• With a sharp knife make crisscross slashes, 1/4 inch deep, on the top of the loaves.
• Cover and let rise 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375-deg.
• After heated place bread in oven and steam.
• Bake in oven for 30-35 minutes, or till bread tests done.
• Cool on a wire rack.

EXTRA TANGY SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• Combine the starter, water, and 362g of the flour. Beat vigorously for 1 minute.
• Cover, and let rest at room temperature for 4 hours. Refrigerate overnight, for about 12 hours.
• Add the remaining 241g flour, and the salt. Knead to form a smooth dough.
• Allow the dough to rise in a covered bowl until it's light and airy, with visible gas bubbles. The dough will expand and become puffy. Depending on the vigor of your starter, this may take up to 5 hours (or even longer), depending on how active your starter is. For best results, gently deflate the dough once an hour by turning it out onto a lightly floured work surface, stretching and folding the edges into the center, and turning it over before returning it to the bowl. Adding these folds will give you a better sense of how the dough is progressing, as well as strengthen it.
• Gently divide the dough in half.
• Gently shape the dough into two rounds or oval loaves, and place them on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap and let rise until very puffy, about 2 to 4 hours (or longer; give them sufficient time to become noticeably puffy). Don't worry if the loaves spread more than they rise; they'll pick up once they hit the oven's heat. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 425°F.
• Spray the loaves with lukewarm water.
• Slash the loaves. If you've made round loaves, try one slash across the center, and a curved slash on each side of it; or slash in the pattern of your choice. For oval loaves, two diagonal slashes are fine. Make the slashes fairly deep; a serrated bread knife, wielded firmly, works well here.
• 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.
• Store bread, loosely wrapped in plastic, for several days at room temperature; freeze for longer storage.

NO YEAST SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl combine the starter, water, and 3 cups of flour. Beat vigorously for 1 minute.
• Cover, and let rest at room temperature for 4 hours.
• Refrigerate overnight, for about 12 hours.
• After refrigeration, add the remaining 2 cups of flour, sugar, and kosher salt.
• Knead to form a smooth dough. Knead either by hand or with a dough hook attached to a mixer.
• Allow the dough to rise in a covered bowl until it's light and airy, with visible gas bubbles. Depending on how active your starter is this may take up to 5 hours, or even longer. For best results, gently deflate the dough once an hour by turning it out onto a lightly floured or lightly greased work surface; stretching and folding the edges into the center; turning it over, then returning it to the bowl. Adding these folds will help strengthen the dough's structure, and allow you to feel how it's progressing over time.
• Note: sourdough bread (especially sourdough without added yeast) can be finicky and may not go exactly to the written plan. Please allow yourself to go with the flow, and not treat this as an exact to-the-minute process.
• When the dough is ready, transfer the dough to a lightly floured or lightly greased work surface and gently divide the dough in half.
• Gently shape the dough into two oval loaves, and place them on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap and let rise until very puffy, about 2 to 4 hours. This step could take longer but give them sufficient time to become noticeably puffy. Don't worry if the loaves spread more than they rise, they'll pick up once they hit the oven's heat.
• Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 425°F.
• Spray the loaves with lukewarm water.
• Slash the loaves. If you've made round loaves, try one slash across the center, and a curved slash on each side of it; or slash in the pattern of your choice. For oval loaves, two diagonal slashes are fine. Make the slashes fairly deep, a serrated bread knife works well here.
• 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.
• Store bread, loosely wrapped in plastic, for several days at room temperature or freeze for longer storage.

DUTCH OVEN SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, add the sourdough starter. Mix in the water, stirring until it is completely dissolved. Add the flour and salt. Stir with a dough whisk or wooden spoon until a thick, shaggy dough forms. If the dough is too thick to stir, finish mixing dough by hand. Cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
• Stretch and fold the dough for 15 seconds within the bowl. Grab the edge of the dough, stretch it up and press it down into the center of the dough, then turn the dough 1/4 a turn (see video) and continue stretching the dough in a clockwise rotation. Cover the bowl with a damp towel, and let rise in a warm area (75º to 85º F) for 6-8 hours. The dough should double in size and look bubbly on the surface and under the dough.
• Lightly flour your countertop and pull the dough from the bowl onto the countertop. Shape the dough by stretching and folding it again as you did before. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
• Line a medium bowl with a towel or use a banneton with linen cover, and dust heavily with flour. Let dough rise for 30 - 60 minutes.
• Preheat your oven to 450º (without the dutch oven). Cover the dough bowl with a long piece of parchment paper, and turn it over onto the countertop so that the dough is on top of the parchment paper.
• Slash the top of the loaf with a lame or sharp serrated knife. Gently lower the parchment paper dough into the dutch oven.
• Place the dutch oven in the oven and bake with the bread covered for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for 20 more minutes. Using oven mitts, carefully remove the bread from inside the pot and bake it directly on the oven rack for 10 minutes to crisp the exterior.
• Let cool for at least 1 hour before serving.

EXTRA-TANGY SOURDOUGH BREEAD

Steps:

• 1) Combine the starter, water, and 3 cups of the flour. Beat vigorously for 1 minute. 2) Cover, and let rest at room temperature for 4 hours. Refrigerate overnight, for about 12 hours. 3) Add the remaining ingredients: 2 cups of flour, sugar, salt, and sour salt, if you're using it. Knead to form a smooth dough. 4) Allow the dough to rise in a covered bowl until it's relaxed, smoothed out, and risen. Depending on the vigor of your starter, it may become REALLY puffy, as pictured; or it may just rise a bit. This can take anywhere from 2 to 5 hours. Understand this: sourdough bread (especially sourdough without added yeast) is as much art as science; everyone's timetable will be different. So please allow yourself to go with the flow, and not treat this as an exact, to-the-minute process. 5) Gently divide the dough in half. 6) 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 2 to 4 hours. Don't worry if the loaves spread more than they rise; they'll pick up once they hit the oven's heat. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 425°F. 7) Spray the loaves with lukewarm water. 8) Make two fairly deep horizontal slashes in each; a serrated bread knife, wielded firmly, works well here. 9) 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.