It Started with a Starter

So, Ive realized that some back-tracking is going to happen in order for me to get to the new recipes and breads. I'll start at the beginning. In May, a friend graciously gifted me part of her sourdough starter (we're talking Oakland yeast, my friends). For those of you who don't know what a starter is, it's basically the alternative to active dry yeast. Restaurants will sometimes use these if they bake a lot of bread and some places keep their starters for years. The advantage to maintaining one of these puppies is the flavor of your bread. I've noticed that even using my starter for regular dinner rolls results in a tastier product. The down side is that you have to maintain it. It's like a little animal or pet. I usually keep my starter in the refrigerator (it slows the production of the yeast) and I feed it a flower-water mixture every week or so.

Getting a starter was a pretty big step for me. Although they aren't really difficult to make/ cultivate I had given it a go in December and failed because of conditions that were not ideal. So once I had one to obsessively care about, I decided it was time to make sourdough. After a few failed attempts (including one recipe I tried out the night before my graduation ceremony..which flopped), I stumbled across the one that I regularly use (from ):

The first step is to proof your starter. This involves emptying it out into a large bowl and mixing into it a cup of warm (not hot) water and a cup of flour. I try to let this sit out at least overnight or do it in the morning before going to work. You'll know it's ready because it gets frothy and bubbly (it sounds gross, and it sort of looks gross but it is also really exciting.)

To bake this you will need:
2 cups of your proofed sponge (starter)
3 cups of unbleached flour
2 tablespoons of oil
4 teaspoons of sugar
2 teaspoons of salt

the method:

start by putting 2 cups of your proofed starter into a separate bowl. Feed your remaining starter 1/2 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of water, return it to it's receptacle and put it back in the refrigerator.

Add the oil, salt, and sugar to the 2 cups of proofed sponge. Start adding the flour 1/2 cup at a time. Either knead it in or use a mixer with a bread hook if you have it (i don't, so by hand it is!). The amount of flour you need will vary. I usually know my dough is ready when it won't accept any more flour (it won't be too wet, and you want to stop adding flour before it's too dry)

next, you'll want to place a damp cloth over your bread and put it in a warm place to rise. I usually turn my oven on for a minute to warm and then put the bread in it (but don't leave the oven on, or it'll cook your bread.) Let it rise for a couple of hours. Also keep in mind if you have an older oven you might have to re-heat it every once in a while. My oven cools about every 20-30 minutes, so around that amount of time I try to heat it back up. Your bread has risen enough when a finger poke creates a pit that doesn't spring back.

Punch down your dough and knead. Form it into a loaf and place it onto a lightly greased pan. Cover it and let it rise again until it has doubled in bulk.

Once it has risen again, place it into the oven (or if that's where its been all this time, take off the damp cloth and just turn on your oven) Do not preheat your oven and bake your bread at 350 for 30-45 minutes. It's done when the crust is a lovely golden brown color and the bottom sounds hollow if you tap it with a wooden spoon.