Five days have passed, and the sourdough starter is ready. I do this next step the evening before bread baking day.

To  make the primary batter needed for the actual bread, I take one cup  of my starter and place it in a warm bowl. Then I place the remaining starter, about one cup,  in the refrigerator for future use. Remember to use something non-breakable and not to seal it too tightly.

Next, add 2 cups of warm water to the 1 cup of starter in the bowl. Then add 2 1/2 cups of white flour, stirring continuously for 4 – 5 minutes or until the mixture is smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place  in a warm draft-free area for 12 hours of proofing. The next morning, the primary batter is ready to go. You end up with approximately 4 cups of primary batter, i.e. three cups for your bread recipe and one cup to store. I know this seems like a lot of work, but once you have your starter made, future peparation will not have as many steps. I promise.

Now we are ready to start the bread itself.

3 cups primary batter

6 – 6 1/2 cups white flour

2 TBS white sugar

1 1/2 cups warm milk

2 TBS melted butter (or margarine)

2 tsp salt

Place the 3 cups of Pimary batter in a large warm bowl and stir in 1 cup of the flour. Stir in 2 TBS of sugar. Then add the salt, warm milk, and melted butter and stir. Next, add approximately 4 cups of the flour or enough to make the dough too stiff to stir with a spoon.

Now place the bread on a well floured bread board. Knead in enough additional flour (about 1 – 1 1/2 cups) to make the dough smooth and elastic. I find sourdough to be very forgiving, so don’t get too caught up in the consistency of the dough.

Next, lightly apply a little softened butter to the outside of the dough.  Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a cotton towel, and place in a warm, dry area (85-90° F) until the dough doubles in size, or approx. 2 hours.

When the dough has finished rising, punch it down with your fist to release built up gases return the bowl to the same warm, dry place, and let rise for another 30 minutes.

Place risen dough back onto floured bread board and divide in two.  Fold each half over unto itself and pinch the bottom closed.  Place the dough with the  sealed bottom down into a well  greased (3″x5″x9”) loaf pan.

Brush the tops with a little melted butter and then place the pans in a warm spot for approximately 90 minutes.

After the final rising, preheat oven to 375° F, then place bread pans on the center rack and bake for approximately 45 minutes or until the bread moves away from the sides of the pans and is well browned on the top.

When baked, remove the bread immediately from the pan and place loaves on their sides on wire racks, to cool.  Brush the tops with melted butter for a softer crust.

Finally, I hope you enjoy your sourdough bread as much as we did last evening, along with our dinner of lentil soup and tossed green salad.

If you have any questions about the recipe, or about the process of making sourdough bread, please do not hesitate to email me at  Visit@Plumbirdcorner.com