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Our Daring Bakers Host for December 2011 was Jessica of My Recipe Project and she showed us how fun it is to create Sour Dough bread in our own kitchens! She provided us with Sour Dough recipes from Bread Matters by AndrewWhitley as well as delicious recipes to use our Sour Dough bread in from Tonia George’s Things on Toast and Canteen’s Great British Food!
Sourdough is made without adding any yeast or leavening to the bread. You let the natural yeasts in flour develop over several days. I’d never made sour dough before, so it was fun feeding the starter a little every morning and watching it slowly come to life.
The dough is very wet and doesn’t produce a tall loaf like you buy at the market, but what it lacked in looks it made up for in taste. It has a fabulous flavor with a crisp, chewy crust and moist tender crumb. It smelled irresistible while it was baking. We couldn’t resist cutting it and eating half of it while it was still hot.
We also had to make a recipe that showcases the bread, and I chose to make HoneyB’s Cheesy Garlic Bread. My sweet blogging friend Shelby, The Life & Loves of Grumpy’s Honeybunch, is celebrating her 4 year blogiversary with a small bites party and a giveaway and I’m helping her celebrate. Shelby and I meet through Daring Bakers and have been blogging buddies almost from the beginning. She is a kind, caring person, with loads of great recipes, like her wonderful Cheesy Garlic Bread.
Information on how you can help Shelby celebrate and enter her giveaway are listed below. You’ll also want to be sure and visit the Daring Kitchen to see all the fabulous bread the Daring Bakers baked up this month. Thanks Jessica for hosting this month’s challenge. (I also want to thank Kelley, Mountain Mama Cooks, for giving me the cute frog bowl and the fabulous Trader Joe’s Garlic Olive Oil. I drizzled it on the bread instead of butter and garlic and it’s amazing!)
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French Country Sour Dough Bread
Ingredients
Wheat Starter – Day 1:
- 4 ½ tablespoons 70 ml (40 gm/1 ½ oz) stoneground breadmaking whole-wheat or graham flour
- 3 tablespoons 45 ml water
- Total scant ½ cup 115 ml (3 oz/85 gm)
Wheat Starter – Day 2:
- 4 ½ tablespoons 70 ml (40 gm/1 ½ oz) stoneground breadmaking whole-wheat or graham flour
- 3 tablespoons 45 ml water
- scant ½ cup 115 ml (3 oz/85 gm) starter from Day 1
- Total scant cup 230 ml (6 oz/170 gm)
Wheat Starter – Day 3:
- 4 ½ tablespoons 70 ml (40 gm/1 ½ oz) stoneground breadmaking whole-wheat or graham flour
- 4 teaspoons 20 ml water
- scant 1 cup 230 ml (6 oz/170 gm) starter from Day 2
- Total 1? cup 320 ml (230 gm/8-1/10 oz)
Wheat Starter – Day 4:
- ¾ cup plus 1½ tablespoons 205 ml (120 gm/4 ¼ oz) unbleached all-purpose flour
- ½ cup less 4 teaspoons 100 ml water
- 1 ? cup 320 ml (230 gm/8 oz) starter from Day 3
- Total scant 2? cup 625 ml (440 gm/15½ oz)
French Country Bread
- 1 cup less 1 tablespoon 225 ml (160 gm/5 ? oz) wheat Leaven Starter
- 6 tablespoons less 1 teaspoon 85 ml (50 gm/1¾ oz) stoneground bread making whole-wheat or graham flour
- 1 cup plus 2 teaspoons 250 ml (150 gm/5 ? oz) unbleached all purpose flour
- ½ cup 120 ml water
- Production Leaven Total 2¾ cups plus 4 teaspoons 680 ml (480 gm /1 lb 1 oz)
- French Country Bread
- ¾ cup less 1 teaspoon 175 ml (100 gm/3 ½ oz) stoneground breadmaking whole-wheat or graham flour, plus more for dusting
- 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons 510 ml (300gm/10 ½ oz) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1¼ teaspoons 7½ ml (7 gm/¼ oz) sea salt or ? teaspoon (3? ml) (3 gm/? oz) table salt
- 1 ¼ cups 300 ml water
- 1 ¾ cups 425 ml (300 gm/10 ½ oz) production leaven–this should leave some (1 cup) for your next loaf.
- Total 6 cups less 2 tablespoons 1415 ml 1007 gm/35 ½ oz/2 lb 3½ oz
HoneyB’s Cheesy Garlic Bread
- 1 loaf Italian bread
- 4 Tablespoons butter softened
- ½ Tablespoon refrigerated minced garlic
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese I use a micro plane zester. If you don’t use this, you may want to adjust the amount of cheese.
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- oregano
Instructions
Wheat Starter – Day 1:
- In a Tupperware or plastic container, mix the flour and water into a paste. Set the lid on top gently, cover with a plastic bag, to prevent messes in case it grows more than expected! 3. Set somewhere warm (around 86 F if possible). I sometimes put mine on a windowsill near a radiator, but even if it’s not that warm, you’ll still get a starter going–it might just take longer.
Wheat Starter – Day 2:
- Stir the flour and water into the mixture from Day 1, cover, and return to its warm place.
Wheat Starter – Day 3:
- Stir the flour and water into the mixture from Day 2, cover, and return to its warm place.
- Wheat Starter – Day 4
- Stir the flour and water into the mixture from Day 3, cover, and return to its warm place. At this point it should be bubbling and smell yeasty. If not, repeat this process for a further day or so until it is!
French Country Bread Stage 1:
- Refreshing the leavenMix everything into a sloppy dough. It may be fairly stiff at this stage. Cover and set aside for 4 hours, until bubbling and expanded slightly.
- French Country Bread Stage 2: Making the final dough
- Mix the dough with all the ingredients except the production leaven. It will be a soft dough. Knead on an UNFLOURED surface for about 8-10 minutes, getting the tips of your fingers wet if you need to. You can use dough scrapers to stretch and fold the dough at this stage, or air knead if you prefer. Basically, you want to stretch the dough and fold it over itself repeatedly until you have a smoother, more elastic dough.
- Smooth your dough into a circle, then scoop your production leaven into the center. You want to fold the edges of the dough up to incorporate the leaven, but this might be a messy process. Knead for a couple minutes until the leaven is fully incorporated in the dough.
- Spread some water on a clean bit of your work surface and lay the dough on top. Cover with an upturned bowl, lining the rim of the bowl with a bit of water. Leave for an hour, so that the gluten can develop and the yeasts can begin to aerate the dough. Once your dough has rested, you can begin to stretch and fold it. Using wet hands and a dough scraper, stretch the dough away from you as far as you can without breaking it and fold it back in on itself. Repeat this in each direction, to the right, towards you, and to the left. This will help create a more "vertical" dough, ready for proofing.
- Heavily flour a banneton/proofing basket with whole wheat flour and rest your dough, seam side up, in the basket. Put the basket in a large plastic bag, inflate it, and seal it. Set aside somewhere warm for 3-5 hours, or until it has expanded a fair bit. It is ready to bake when the dough responds to a gently poke by slowly pressing back to shape.
- Preheat the oven to hot 425°F/220°C/gas mark 7. Line a baking sheet with parchment, then carefully invert the dough onto the sheet. I like to put the baking sheet on top of the basket, then gently flip it over so as to disturb the dough as little as possible. Make 2-3 cuts on top of the loaf and bake for 40-50 minutes, reducing the temperature to moderately hot 400°F/200°C/gas mark 6 after 10 minutes. Cool on a cooling rack.
- HoneyB’s Cheesy Garlic Bread
- Slice loaf of bread in half lengthwise. Mix garlic into softened butter. Spread evenly on both sides of bread slices. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, then sprinkle with mozzarella and oregano. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Turn to broil and broil until cheese just begins to brown. Cool slightly, slice & enjoy!
Deb
Your sourdough bread is marvelous! I have only thought of making the starter but have never carried through, bravo on your accomplishment.
I am inspired by acts of kindness, understanding and empathy shared as we travel through the day.
Denise O
Love sourdough + wheat = My Yum!! Starting this in the morning.
My family inspires me. Specifically, my Momma. Yes, at 46 I still call her Momma. She is the MOST incredible, giving, caring, loving woman I know. 15 years ago she had a liver transplant, each day with her since has been a bonus. When I grow up, I want to be just like her!!
vianney
Wonderful sourdough bread.. you did a great job. The results are perfect. 4 years, Congrats to Shelby!
teresa
oh my goodness, i love sourdough bread, this looks just wonderful! i hope you had a great holiday!
Claire @ Claire K Creations
I’m a huge fan of Sourdough bread. I didn’t realise you could make it like this without a started that has been developing for ages. Yours looks delicious!
Heidi @foodiecrush
Every year as a child, my grandma would bring San Francisco sourdough bread with her on her Christmas visits, thus I have a sweet (sour!) spot in my heart for the chewy bread. I’m going to have to give it a try. Where did you find the stoneground flour?
Barbara
What a sweet memory of your Grandma. I used the Hodgson Whole Wheat Flour they sent me. It met all the required elements. Harmons sells Hodgson products. You can probably find other brands that are stoneground as well.
Casey Yo
Been searching the internet for the perfect sour dough recipe. Thank you so much for posting this! Absolutely Love it! Perfect to make when having a dinner party. thanks again!
Sandy
Oh… Oh… Congratulations to your friend, Shelby! What a neat accomplishment. I have stopped by her blog on many occasions.
Sandy
Barbara! Your bread looks amazing! Such beautiful texture-and with whole-wheat flour, no less.
You are the master:)
gloria
Love this bread! Hope you had a Merry Christmas!
Cassie
This is my kind of bread, I love sourdough. You make it look so easy too. Must give it a try!
Deborah
I have always wanted to try making sourdough bread, and this one looks fantastic!
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc
looks like a fabulous recipe!!
Claudia
This really is the staff of life. Haven’t made sour dough in years – and wonder about the non-yeast starter taking off in my chilly state. But when I see your lovely loaf and just imagining dipping it in olive oil… I grow weak at the knees. Wishing you all good things in 2012. May the New Year bring joy.
Kitchen Belleicious
Oh the bread looks amazing! I love the texture and the chewy inside. What a wonderful time to be making bread too. Hope you had a wonderful christmas!
Carol Anne
Yum – look at the lovely texture of this bread! I could eat the whole loaf, I’m sure of it 😉
shaz
I had a flat loaf too the first time! Slightly taller second time around. Cheesy garlic bread is an excellent way to showcase the bread, yum! Happy holidays to you and yours Barbara.
marcellina
Oooh your cheesy garlic bread looks wonderful! And what beautiful looking sourdough! YUM!
Valérie ( France )
Quoi qu’il en soit, le fait maison est imparable, j’adore
Barbara, je te souhaite un excellent mercredi
Bises
Valérie.
Angie's Recipes
The bread has such perfect crumbs. Great to dip in the olive oil.