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Country French Bread (Sourdough Bread And Starter)

Country French Bread (Sourdough Bread And Starter) comes together with Sourdough Starter, Water, Whole Wheat Flour The Bread, Sourdough, and Warm Water. Serves 1. Add it to your meal plan and shop the whole list in one go.

Illustrative photo

Ingredients

• to taste
• 1 cup
• 1 1/2 cup
• 2 cup
• 3 1/2 cup
• 4 cup
• 2 pkg
• 1/4 cup
• 4 tsp
• 4 cup
• to taste

Method (preview)

1. 1

   Mix 1 C water with 1 1/2 C whole wheat flour.

2. 2

   Put the mixture in a plastic, ceramic or glass (but not metal) bowl, and leave it open to the air for 2-3 days.

3. 3

   If a crust forms, stir it in.

4. 4

   Add more flour to make a soft dough, cover and let it sit a couple more days.

5. 5

   By this time, the dough should have a distinct sour smell.

6. 6

   Some bakers like to add a small amount of active dry yeast to the initial batter.

7. 7

   Put the sourdough starter into a bowl with the warm water.

8. 8

   Add 2 C of the whole wheat flour and mix well.

9. 9

   Add another 2 to 2 1/2 C of the whole wheat flour to form a thick batter, (or sponge) and beat it with a spoon to incorporate lots of air.

10. 10

    Cover and let it set overnight, 8 to 10 hours in a moderately warm place such as a gas oven with the pilot light lit.

11. 11

    In the morning, remove 2 C of the sponge and use it to replenish your supply of starter.

12. 12

    Dissolve the yeast in the warm water, and stir it into the remaining batter, along with the salt.

13. 13

    Fold in the white flour, 1/2 a C at a time, turning the bowl a quarter turn between folds to approximate the action of kneading.

14. 14

    When the batter becomes too thick to continue in this way, turn it out onto a floured board and knead for 5 to 8 minutes, until the surface is smooth and satiny.

15. 15

    Place the dough in an oiled bowl and turn it over to make sure that the top is covered in oil; Then set aside in a warm place to rise until it has more than doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

16. 16

    Sprinkle cornmeal on a baking sheet.

17. 17

    Punch the dough down, shape it into 2 round loaves and place them on the baking sheet with several inches of space between them to give them room to rise.

18. 18

    Brush or spray the tops with water, and let the loaves rise until they have more than doubled in size, about 40 minutes.

19. 19

    Preheat the oven to 425F and place an empty pan on the bottom shelf, so that it will be hot when the bread is ready to bake.

20. 20

    Make several cuts in the surface of the loaves, to allow the bread to expand without tearing.

21. 21

    Place the bread in the oven, and pour a cup of hot water into the hot pan in the bottom of the oven being mindful that it will immediately begin to steam.

22. 22

    Quickly close the oven door to keep the steam in.

23. 23

    Bake the bread for 35 to 40 minutes, until a solid crust has formed, well browned on the bottom and lighter brown on the top.

24. 24

    The loaves will sound hollow when thumped.

25. 25

    If the water has not gone in 25 minutes, remove the water pan from the oven.

26. 26

    Take the finished loaves and turn them out onto a wire rack to cool.

27. 27

    If using a pizza stone and peel, put the stone in the oven on the top shelf at the same time as the empty pan goes on the bottom shelf, and allow both to preheat for about 20 minutes.

28. 28

    Set the loaves on the peel to rise, and when they are ready, slide them onto the heated stone.

29. 29

    Add the hot water to the empty pan and close the oven door quickly to trap the steam.

30. 30

    The starter, can be made at home from the recipe given here, or bought commercially which is then mixed with fresh flour and water to form a thick batter which sets overnight.

31. 31

    The fermentation which takes place at this time is what gives the bread its sour flavor and smell.

32. 32

    You may have to bake one loaf at a time, or change the shape of the loaves to fit.