White Sourdough Bread Recipes

WHITE SOURDOUGH BREAD RECIPE

Steps:

• On day 1, combine 30g wheat sourdough starter with 150g strong white wheat flour and 150g water. Mix well, cover and keep at room temperature for about 12 hours.
• On day 2, combine 300g of the sourdough from earlier (the rest i.e. 30g of it goes back into the fridge for your next bake), 435g strong white bread flour, 260g water and 9g salt to form a dough and knead for 10 minutes.
• Place the dough back into the bowl, cover with a lid or polythene bag and leave to rest for about 2 hours at room temperature until it has visibly expanded.
• Punch down the dough, give it another quick knead, then shape it into a loaf and place seam-side up into a pre-floured proving basket. Cover with a polythene bag to prevent the dough from drying out.
• I tend to prove my sourdough breads in the fridge overnight as it fits in better with my daily routine. Whether you're proving in the fridge (I proved the loaf for 24 hours) or at room temperature (the time it takes will vary and may take as little as 2 or up to 7 hours), make sure your sourdough loaf has almost doubled in size before you bake it.
• I bake with a La Cloche baking dome for an extra crunchy crust and moist crumb. If you don't have a La Cloche baking dome, turn out the loaf onto a baking tray lined with baking paper once you have preheated the oven to 220°C. Bake for 10 minutes at 220°C and at 200°C for a further 30 minutes. If using the La Cloche, take off the domed lid for the final 10 minutes.
• Cool on a wire rack and enjoy the deliciousness of this white sourdough loaf. It's great toasted too!

BASIC SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• Before measuring out your 2 cups of starter culture, it must be proofed: To proof, I usually start with 1 cup of starter and stir into it equal parts of flour and warm water (for this recipe, 1 1/2 cups of each would be more than enough).
• Let mixture sit, covered loosely, for 8 to 12 hours-- the longer it sits, the sourer the flavor will be.
• At this point, measure out the 2 cups required for recipe, and return leftover starter to refrigerator for next time.
• Pour starter into mixing bowl.
• Melt butter (microwave works well).
• Add milk to butter and warm briefly (85 degrees F).
• Add the salt and sugar, stir until dissolved.
• Add this mixture to the culture and mix well.
• Add the flour, 1 cup at a time, stirring until the dough is too stiff to mix by hand.
• Turn onto floured board and knead in the remaining flour until the dough is smooth and satiny.
• Pat dough into a 1-inch thick oval and form loaf by rolling oval up from the long side, pinching the seam together as you roll the dough, tucking ends to form the loaf.
• Place in lightly greased loaf pan (I spray with cooking spray), and let rise, covered, at 85 degrees F for 1 1/2 to 3 hours.
• When the dough rises 1 to 2 inches above the edges of pan, it is ready to bake.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake an additional 30 to 40 minutes (baking time varies according to your oven and your personal taste--some like a darker crustier bread than others).
• Remove loaf from oven and brush the top lightly with melted butter; turn loaf out of the pan and cool on wire rack.
• If you prefer, you can shape this into a round or oval loaf and bake on a baking sheet.