Simplicity and the Bread

Potato Sourdough Bread

           

INGREDIENTS:

     

Starter (first time):

1 cup 1½ cup lukewarm water

½ cup ¾ cup sugar

½ package 1 package (2-1/4 teaspoons) dry yeast

3 tsp 3 level Tbsp instant potato flakes

     

Starter Feeder (subsequent times):

1 cup warm water

¾ cup ½ cup sugar

3 tsp 2 Tbsp 3 Tbsp instant potato flakes

     

Bread:

6 cups all-purpose whole-wheat bread flour

1 Tbsp 1 tsp salt

½ cup 1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup corn oil

1¼ cups 1½ cups warm water

1 cup starter (see notes below)

     

PREPARATION:

     

First Time Starter Directions:
Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar and potato flakes. Mix well.

Mix water, sugar, yeast, and potato flakes. (Right! Who cares if the yeast is dissolved!)

Let stand loosely covered with paper towel and rubber band for 8 hours one day two days 1 week.

Refrigerate 3 days in jar with holes punched in the top. (Some recipes omit this step)

Remove from refrigerator and feed with starter feeder (below) (above).

If you get starter from someone else, you can omit this step.

OR

In a glass bowl, mix 1/3 cup warm water, 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon instant potato flakes.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and poke several holes in it with a toothpick.

Put the bowl close to the light in the oven, then put a pot holder or dishtowel in the oven door to keep it cracked, and light on.

I also turned the oven on warm for about 10-15 seconds.

"Feed" your starter again that evening, making sure you stir for about a minute or so to "catch" the wild yeasts that are in the air.

Feed your starter (mix ingredients first, then add to starter) twice a day for about 3 or 4 days. When you notice a sweet smell in your house, it should be bubbly and ready to use.

Feed Starter:
Combine water, sugar, and potato flakes.

Mix well. Add to starter and stir well.

Let stand out of refrigerator on counter 8-12 hours all day 1 day 2 days. It will be very bubbly.

Refrigerate 3 to 5 days. Make bread. You are ready to make bread.

OR

Keep the starter in the refrigerator and feed again in 3 to 7 days, this time using the whole amount of "food":

3/4 cup sugar, 1 cup of warm water, 3 tablespoons of potato flakes. I let the starter warm up on the counter for a couple hours before I feed it. Let it sit in the oven again with the light on and potholder in the door all day. In the evening, it should be really foamy and bubbly.

     

Using Starter:
Remove 1 cup of the starter for dough.

Return the rest to the refrigerator. Pour one cup back into container and refrigerate. Discard any other starter.
Keep feeding every 3 to 5 days once a week (whether or not you bake bread). Leave in refrigerator until ready to use.

Either discard or give away 1 cup every 3 to 5 days.

     

Make Bread:
In large bowl, add salt, sugar, oil, water, and flour to starter (some recipes stir in flour last). Mix well. Make a stiff dough.

Knead on a floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes. Knead in mixer for 4 minutes with dough hook.

Rub edge of bowl with oil. (No kneading mentioned.) Put dough into a separate greased bowl. Brush surface with additional oil. Turn dough over so that all sides are oiled.

Cover bowl lightly with a wet dishtowel wax paper foil and let it rise in a warm place overnight or all day (about 12 hours). Do not refrigerate. I heat a cup of water in my microwave, then with the microwave off, I put the dough in there with the steamy water. Works especially well in the winter when it might be hard to find a warm place for the dough to rise.

OR

I stir it real well and then put the bread ingredients together: In a LARGE glass bowl (you will need two), warm 1 1/2 cups water in microwave, add 1/4 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup of oil (any kind), 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 cup of starter. Mix with a wooden spoon and then add 6 cups of bread flour one cup at a time. With just a little more sprinkling of flour, you should be able to get it to form a ball. Turn dough into another large glass bowl that has been oiled (1-2 T.). Put the bowl you mixed it in over the top to create a dome.

Adjust your oven racks so it will fit in oven. Let dough rise overnight with the oven light on. – I put it on a jelly roll pan just in case it spilled over -- it didn't, but in the morning, it did rise above where the two bowls joined. (The mixing bowl is now real easy to clean!!)

     

Punch down. Knead lightly on a floured surface to get any air bubbles out. Divide into 3 parts and knead every part on a floured board a few times (8-10 times for each part). Shape dough into 3 loaves.           

Place in greased (cooking spray) loaf pans. Snip with scissors through middle. Brush with oil. Brush with melted margarine.

Let rise, covered loosely with wax paper, 4 to 5 to 6 to 8 to 10 hours or until doubled in bulk. All day is okay. Dough rises very slowly.

OR

Punch down the dough and knead a little. Divide the dough into three parts, kneading each 8-10 times on a lightly floured surface (jelly roll pan). Shape into loaves and put into three greased (I oiled) glass loaf pans. Let rise several hours - depending on the weather, all day sometimes. Mine took 3 hours.

     

Cover with wax paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 to 30 to 45 minutes. After the first 20 minutes cover with foil to prevent over browning, then 15 to 20 minutes more.

Remove and place on wire rack to cool. While hot, brush again with melted margarine butter for soft crust.

Wrap well and store or refrigerate. This bread will freeze.  Eat!

~End Quote (too many to count...none of this is my own)