The Ultimate Baking Challenge

So a few weeks ago during a monotonous February day, I decided to spice things up by going a little sour.....dough.  There's just something about sourdough that is so..............epicurean, I don't know, maybe that's not the right word but it sounded good.  I got all my ingredients and was ready to dive in.  By the end of the day I would be enjoying a nice thick slice of sourdough!  I started with the sourdough starter (which is a dreaded recipe in a recipe, but all good things come to those who wait.)  Come to find it takes 48 hours to sit and bubble and do its thing.  Damn.  Fine.  In two days I will be enjoying an even thicker slice of bread for all of my patience!

Two days  and I'm just watching the starter sit there.  Being lazy.  Staring at me.  Mocking me.  Playing me for a fool.  Finally the wait is over.  I open up my baking book to the ACTUAL recipe.  Reading through it all looks standard procedure for bread.  Waiting first and second rise, yada yada.  Then, there it is, another glitch in my plans.  Apparently after the loaves have been formed they have to sit in the fridge overnight!  You can imagine my frustration.  I have to admit, after I found out this information, it took me about a week to get up enough courage to make the actual dough.  This was supposed to be a four day baker's run of the mill procedure.  In my reality, from the point of inception in my brain to the moment I pulled those painstakingly kneaded loaves out of the oven,  the whole thing took me about 2 weeks.  I'm ashamed.  But I'm not a seasoned baker, so how was I to know?  Regardless, after all was said and done, sourdough and I have made our peace.  (You can imagine how big my slice was after waiting a lifetime to make it!)  While this recipe requires the foresight to know how long it will take, more patience than you can fathom, and a bit of rearranging your fridge to make room for three loaves of bread, it was all worth it in the end.....I think.  Here's the recipe.  It's once again from my Williams-Sonoma Baking Book, and while I love just about everything about that book, this particular recipe left a slightly sour taste in my mouth......

Easy Sourdough Starter
1 pkg commercial dry sourdough starter (1/2 oz) -I found mine at a whole foods store
1 C bread flour
3/4 C lukewarm water
2 Tbsp plain yogurt

In a bowl, combine the dry starter and the flour.  Whisk in the water and yogurt until smooth.  Transfer the mixture to a 1 qt glass jar, ceramic crock or plastic container.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a double thickness of cheesecloth and let stand at room temperature for 48 hours, stirring the mixture with a whisk twice each day.  It will be bubbly, with a sour smell.  If not using right away, store the starter in the refrigerator, loosely covered until ready to use.  

Sourdough Bread
Makes 3 small round loaves

1 1/2 C lukewarm water
4 tsp active dry yeast
1 C Easy Sourdough Starter
1 Tbsp honey
6 C bread flour
1 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for brushing
2 large eggs
2 1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp cornmeal mixed with 2 Tbsp bread flour

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the water, yeast, sourdough starter, and honey.  Beat on low speed just until smooth, about 1 minute.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the starter mixture stand at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. 

This part of the process is cool because you can really hear the mixture bubbling away.  It's like Rice Krispies!

Switch to the paddle attachment and stir the mixture together on low speed.  Add 3 cups of the flour, the butter, eggs and salt.  Beat on medium-low speed until smooth, about 1 minute.  Add 2 more cups of the flourand beat for 2 minutes.  Switch to the dough hook.  Beating on low speed, add the remaining bread flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until a very soft dough forms that pulls away from the bowl sides.  Knead on low speed, adding flour 1 Tbsp at a time if the dough sticks, until smooth, springy, and moist, about 6 minutes.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Brush the bowl with a thin film of melted butter and turn the dough to coat it with butter.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until slightly more than doubled in bulk,
1 1/2-2 hours.

That's a lot of  dough.  It almost spilled over the sides of my bowl!

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle with the cornmeal mixture.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.  Divide the dough into 3 equal portions and shpae each into a tight, round loaf.  Place the loaves, seam side down and at least 4 inches apart, on the prepared sheet.  Sprinkle the tops with flour and rub in.  Cover loosely with a double layer of plastic wrap and let rise in the refrigerator for 8-12 hours. 

Place a baking stone on the bottom oven rack and preheat to 450 degrees F.  Usin a thin, sharp knife, make 3 gentle slashes across the top of each loaf.  Place the pan on the stone and bake for about 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 400 degrees F and bake until the loaves are golden brown, 20-25 minutes longer.  Let cool completely on racks before slicing and serving.

Finally!  The finished product, three happy golden loaves mine for the taking!

I choose this one.

I used one of the loaves right away and gave the other two to family, but you can freeze them as well.  While it is delicious by itself, it's also great for sandwiches (I made some awesome grilled cheeses with it last night for Kurt and myself) or I had the thought of using it as a bread bowl for dips, soups, salads, etc!  The sky is the limit!