Grandpa’s Sourdough Bread

At this point, I am assuming that you have an active sourdough sponge. If not, use the link above and return here once you have your sponge.

• • Yeast
• Fresh cake yeast – live and ready to go, but hard to get
• Dry active yeast – mostly dead – proof in warm water
• Instant rapid rise yeast – killed in a more gentle fashion
• Get many more YEAST TIPS by CLICKING HERE

1. • Rejuvenate your Starter
1. To prepare your refrigerated sourdough starter for baking, take the entire amount and add an equal amount of water and of flour.  My starter is 2 C so these amounts are for 2 C starter.  Near the end of the month, add 1 tsp of potato flakes.
2. You can use tap water, but let it rest on the counter at least two hours.  This will allow the chlorine to evaporate, else it will kill the yeast – or use bottled water with added minerals – hard water is good for bread, but distilled water or “softened” water are not good at this point.
3. Add 1/2 tsp Rapid Rise yeast and 3 TBL honey or 2 TBL granulated sugar
4. Mix, cover in plastic and refrigerate overnight in a glass bowl
   • Refrigerate sponge
     
5. Next day, put 2 C of the mixture back in the fridge for next time in a clean container
   • Start building your dough
6. Add 2 cup of bread flour, 1 tsp Rapid Rise yeast, 2 tsp salt – Bread flour has a higher protein content
7. Put your remaining “sponge” in a mixing bowl on top of the flour
8. Stir with a bread hook on medium-low speed until everything is incorporated together
9. Add just splashes of water until your dough starts to come together into a single mass. 
10. At that time, start timing ten minutes.
11. Cover and rest for 20 minutes – it will not rise too much, but the flour will absorb the water at a cellular level
12. Hook stir for another 5-10 minutes
    • FIRST RISE
13. Let rise in a lightly greased glass bowl until doubled in size – THIS USUALLY TAKES NO MORE THAN AN HOUR.
14. Let this rise happen in a cold oven that IS NOT ON but has a 4 C glass measuring cup nearly full of boiling water placed in the oven at the beginning of the rise.  This COULD take as long as two hours, but probably not that long. 
15. Flatten with your fingers on a lightly floured surface, then fold in thirds – first one way, then the other way and pound down. 
16. Repeat both ways, then form into a kind of a ball
17. Cover with a damp cloth and let rest 10 minutes
    • PREPARE YOUR END PRODUCTS
18. Flatten dough and form into the end product
    • French bread: roll into a long tube, slashes on top
    • Sandwich bread: form a loaf and put into the bread pan
    • Monkey bread: roll small balls in butter, sugar, and cinnamon and put into a large baking dish – traditionally a bundt pan
    • Dinner rolls: roll the bread into balls and put into muffin tin
    • Rustic loaf: Put the entire ball on a baking stone and use a knife to score three /// on the top – brush top with egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds
    • Other types of bread: substitute other types of flour – like rye, buckwheat, etc
    • Tortillas: No… these are not good for tortillas
19. Sprinkle baking surface with cornmeal
    • SECOND RISE
20. Cover and let rise one more hour
21. Brush top with a mixture of 1/3 C water and 1 TBL cornstarch for a crispy crust
22. Barely score three slashes into the top.  This allows the loaf to rise more easily
23. Place a baking stone in the oven and preheat to 400º
24. Put loaf onto the baking stone and replace boiling water in the pan with new hot water
25. Bake 12-15 minutes for rolls;  25-30 minutes for small loaves; 50-60 minutes for a large loaf; or until internal temperature is 195-205º

• Internal temp of finished bread should be 195-205º
  • Below 190º and the gluten structure will break down, and your bread will fall
  • Above 210º and the water will quickly boil away and bread will become intolerably dry

Wait at least 30 minutes before cutting into the loaf.