Sourdough Bread, Making and Baking

The basic sourdough bread recipe is so simple.  You basically just need a lot of time to plan your bread making, fermenting, and baking.  Once you get the hang of it you won't find it too overwhelming.

Basic Recipe
4 cups organic white flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sourdough starter
1 cup warm water

I add the flour and salt together in the mixing bowl then add the sourdough starter.  I turn the mixer on, which is fitted with the dough hook, and add the water as it mixes.

After the initial mixing I kneed by hand for a minute or two.

Then I cover the dough and set aside for 8-12 hours.  Or morning to evening.  As you can see from the picture below, things were getting a little warm inside this summer!  I usually ferment my bread in the mixing bowl to reduce the amount of dishes I have to wash any given day.  Once I came home and saw the plastic wrap ballooning up from all the off-gassing as the sourdough fermented.  Happy dough!

After the long ferment I kneed the dough again and shape it into my loaf.  I place the shaped dough in the pan and let that rise for another hour or so.

Bake the bread in a HOT oven, like 400 degrees!  It takes about 40 - 50 minutes to bake in the oven.,  You want to see a nice golden brown tint to the top. 

Sometimes your bread doesn't turn out the way you planned.  If you look at the picture below you can see my alien brain bread.  I can only guess that I rolled the dough on to itself, kind of like a cinnamon roll as I shaped it.  I think it unrolled while rising and baking! It still tasted GREAT, hard to slice though. 

It is fun to play with the dough.  My daughter and I like to braid the dough.  We divide the fermented dough into three pieces then roll them each out into long separate snakes then braid the snakes together.
We then place the shaped dough in the greased bread pan.
We let the dough rise like normal and bake the same.

 

Bread On The Grill

In the summer I hate heating up the kitchen with my oven.  I have found a way to bake bread on the BBQ grill outside.  All you need is a gas powered grill that has a cover on it.  I use a stoneware cookie sheet under my pans while baking.  It keeps the dough from over baking on the bottom.  The best part is ...... bread takes a mere 15 minutes to bake!

Follow the directions for the making and long fermenting of the dough then let the bread rise in the pan like normal.  Here is where you deviate into awesomeness.  

 Preheat the grill on high for five minutes then place the risen bread dough on the baking sheet and shut the grill top. Keep the temperature high for five minutes then turn it down to half heat for the remaining time.  You will know your bread is done when the top of the loaf is a nice golden brown.  Avoid opening the grill top too many times and letting the heat out.  You will have to periodically check the baking progress visually. 

The size of your bread pan will determine how long your bread bakes in the grill.  I have this extra long bread pan and it only takes 15 minutes after the initial grill pre-heat.