How to Make Sourdough Bread at Home
Sourdough Bread is spongy and scrumptious and you can make it easily home. It is given that name due to the acid that builds up in the culture during the fermentation process. However, it is not necessary that the sourdough bread would taste sour as a result of it. Once the sourdough starter is blended with other rich ingredients while making dough, its flavour is tempered by the other essences it brings out.
Prep time: 20 to 25 min
Fermentation time: 4 to 8 hours
Raising time: 4 to 6 hours
Bake time: 20 to 25 min
Total time: 8 hours, 40 min to 14 hours, 50 min
Yield: 2 large loaves
Utensils: Mixing bowl, baking tray, baking sheet, wooden spatula or bowl, gloves, oven
Ingredients:
Sourdough starter: 1 cup
Warm filtered water: 1½ cups
All-purpose flour or bread flour: 5 to 6 cups
Salt: 2 ½ teaspoons
Sugar: 1/3 cup
Instructions
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1
Place 1 large cup of sourdough starter and 3 cups of flour in a large mixing bowl.
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2
Pour in some warm water and use a small wooden ladle or medium wooden spoon to vigorously beat the flour mixture until it forms a thick paste.
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3
Cover up the bowl with a plastic wrapping sheet and set it aside for 4 to 8 hours until it doubles in size. The longer the time period, the sourer will be the taste.
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4
Once the sponge bubbled and long-drawn-out, unseal it and add in one more cup of flour. Top the flour with 2 ½ teaspoons of salt and 1/3 cup of sugar.
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5
Use your hand to mix all the ingredients until it forms a lose dough, adding in water according to requirement.
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6
Sprinkle some flour over the work surface and place the lose dough on the top.
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7
Now use both of your hands to knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes or until smooth and slightly stretchy. You can add in some more flour during kneading in order to achieve the required consistency.
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8
Lightly sprinkle some flour over the dough to avoid sticking to the sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl again and leave it aside at room temperature for approximately two hours or until the dough is double in size.
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9
Unseal the bowl and shift the dough into a floured work surface. Now divide the dough into two equal slices, using your hands or knife. Use your hands to shape both the dough into loaf shapes (bread shape).
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10
Place the loaves on a finely greased and cornmeal-sprinkled baking sheet. Cover the loaves and leave them for 1 to 2 more hours, providing them with enough to rise to their fullest in size.
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11
Meanwhile, preheat your oven at 450°F (232.222 °C).
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12
Remove the plastic wrapping sheet after one to two hours and make some designs on the top of the dough loaves, using knife.
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13
Place the baking tray in the preheat oven and bake the loaves for 20 to 25 minutes or until deep golden from all sides.
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14
Turn your oven off, shift the baking sheet into the cooling wire rack and leave the Sourdough Breads for few minutes until slightly warm. Slice your Sourdough Breads and serve slightly warm. Enjoy!
