Sourdough Wheat Bread

[w_r_ranch]

I felt 'lazy' again today & figured I make some sourdough wheat bread to go with our supper... Figured I'd do something a little different, just to mix things up. Made a loaf for tomorrow & some rolls for tonight.

BTW, I just had one (QC purposes) & it tasted great!!!


Sourdough Wheat Bread

3 1/2 cups of whole wheat starter (I've been feeding my wheat culture extra heavy the last couple of days to build it up big enough for this).

3 1/2 cups of bread flour

2 Tsp sugar

1/4 cup oil

2 tsp instant dried yeast

2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups warm water

Combine the bread flour, salt, yeast & oil together. Now in a large bowl, mix the starter & warm water together thoroughly. Slowly add the dry ingredients until well blended (about 2 minutes). The results should feel dough-like and tacky/slightly sticky; if not add some more water or flour 1 tsp at a time. When you got that done, let the dough rest for about 10 minutes to fully hydrate.

Now turn the dough out on a well floured work surface and fold & knead the dough for about 10 minutes, till the dough firms up and becomes smoother. Now place the dough-ball in a large, lightly oiled bowl & cover it. Leave it sit at room temperature to rise.

In a couple of hours, the dough will double in size. At this point, de-gas the dough by kneading it with your fists (while continuously folding it in thirds). Then place it back into the bowl to rise a second time (about an hour).

When that is done, it is time to form the dough into loaves or rolls. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board, divide the dough in half and gently shape into loaves (or balls if making rolls). Set aside to rise for about 30-45 minutes while the oven is preheating to 400 degrees.

Gently lift the bread and place it on a well-floured pizza peel or a well-floured piece of heavy cardboard. Slide onto the baking stone or cookie sheet in an oven.

I baked the bread for approximately 30 minutes & the rolls 18 minutes.
Traditionally, if you thump on the bottom of the loaf and the sound is hollow, the bread is done. When done, remove from the oven and allow to cool. Store them in a brown paper bag.

Yields two 2+ pound loaves. Enjoy!!!

 

[Mr_Yan]

Sour dough is something I need to learn

 

[Rahab222]

Do you have a recipe for the starter and how to feed it, etc.?

 

[majorcatfish]

asked the wife this afternoon how come you have not been making bread, oh did i get a look...
she reminded me that the bread maker died last thanksgiving... with that said she will be taking a portion of our return and getting a new one.

one thing i have a hankering for is a true sourdough crust pizza...fully loaded.
nobody out here makes it..

 

[w_r_ranch]

Do you have a recipe for the starter and how to feed it, etc.?

I have 2 cultures that I have been keeping alive for the last 1 1/2 years, 1 rye & 1 wheat. The 'secret' formula uses nothing more than whole-grain stone ground rye or wheat flour to incubate & feed the naturally occurring wild yeasts that are contained in the rye/wheat grain itself. If you do both cultures, make sure you label both each of the bowls & the lids to prevent screw-ups.

The first step is starting the the sour seed culture, which in itself is 4 day process.

Day 1
3/4 cup of whole grain flour (rye or wheat)
1/4 cup of water

Day 2
1/2 cup of Day 1's culture (discard the rest)
3/4 cup of whole grain flour
1/4 cup of water

Day 3
1/2 cup of Day 3's culture
3/4 cup of whole grain flour
1/4 cup of water

Day 4
1/2 cup of Day 3's culture
3/4 cup of whole grain flour
1/4 cup of water

On Day 5 you start on step 2 of the process (which in itself is a 14 day long journey) of 'building the structure' of the final sour... To do this, you will need to feed the beast 2X/day as follows:

Day 5 - 18

A.M. Feeding (see note #1)
1/2 cup of the sour seed culture
1/2 cup wheat or rye flour (I'm using rye)
1/4 cup warm water (90 degrees)

P.M. Feeding (see note #2)
1 cup of the sour culture from the A.M. feeding
1/2 cup wheat or rye flour (I'm using rye)
1/4 cup warm water (90 degrees)

#1) Discard excess sour from the previous P.M. feeding (there won't be any on the first day). Add water to the sour & mix to a smooth paste, then add flour & blend. Cover loosely so that the carbon dioxide can escape & let rest at room temperature.

#2) Add water to the sour from the A.M. feeding & mix as above. Continue this routine for 14 days.

After the sour has matured, keep it refrigerated in a covered container & feed once or twice weekly. If you take good care for the culture, you will never need to go through this process again.

Also, if you need to know how to make the bread (after you're done with the above), let me know as it is a 2 day process... it is well worth the effort. Both the resulting wheat & the rye loaves are excellent... although the sourdough rye is absolutely killer (however it is a challenge to work with depending on the percentage of rye in the loaves)!!! I gone up to 80% on a few occasions (Jewish recipe from Poland circa 1880s).

 

[Rahab222]

WOW! Your bread is beautiful! I'll eventually try the wheat. I don't cook very much, but I'm trying to learn. I really appreciate all the instructions for the starter.

 

[Rahab222]

Do you have a bread recipe for wheat bread or white bread that isn't sour dough? I'd love to have it if you have one.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Do you have a bread recipe for wheat bread or white bread that isn't sour dough? I'd love to have it if you have one.

Rustic Italian Bread

You can do the math to make a smaller amount if necessary... You can also use wheat flour instead of the white bread flour if you desire (or go with a 50/50 blend). If you go with wheat, I would also use plain vegetable oil instead of olive oil.