After reading my fellow bloggers’ comments about failed attempts at sourdough bread, I started to worry. I had to make some tweaks to get mine to work, but am ecstatic with the results. I will just have to be careful not to overeat it. It is very moist and extra sour, like what we used to get at the fancy restaurants in San Francisco. It was definitely worth the effort!
This was the starter that I used. I picked up this envelope at one of the gift shops in port on my cruise to Alaska last year. I made some mistakes in the recipe, but it still worked out. I accidentally followed the bread recipe at first when making the starter. This one uses yeast, which I think made it much easier.
I kept it in my oven for thirty-six hours, and stirred it with a wooden spoon several times each day.
My dough didn’t quite double in size, so I let it rise for forty-five extra minutes, and turned the oven on to its lowest setting. That did the trick.
I had to add more flour than I expected, and after the second rise my dough was quite sticky. I turned off the oven after about ten minutes. This recipe is kind of a hybrid of a vintage French bread recipe I used to make, and The New York Times’ No Knead Bread.
I dumped the sticky mound into my Le Crueset Dutch oven and baked it for fifteen minutes. It was undercooked and had a wet spot in the middle, so I put it back in the oven, this time covering it with the lid.
After many small changes, I had my loaf of sourdough bread. It was a thrilling experience. I hope my blogging friends can have an easier time with a recipe with yeast, and possibly a warmer environment. Let me know how your baking is going. What kind of bread do you like to buy or bake?
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