Sourdough Brown Bread Food

BASIC SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• Before measuring out your 2 cups of starter culture, it must be proofed: To proof, I usually start with 1 cup of starter and stir into it equal parts of flour and warm water (for this recipe, 1 1/2 cups of each would be more than enough).
• Let mixture sit, covered loosely, for 8 to 12 hours-- the longer it sits, the sourer the flavor will be.
• At this point, measure out the 2 cups required for recipe, and return leftover starter to refrigerator for next time.
• Pour starter into mixing bowl.
• Melt butter (microwave works well).
• Add milk to butter and warm briefly (85 degrees F).
• Add the salt and sugar, stir until dissolved.
• Add this mixture to the culture and mix well.
• Add the flour, 1 cup at a time, stirring until the dough is too stiff to mix by hand.
• Turn onto floured board and knead in the remaining flour until the dough is smooth and satiny.
• Pat dough into a 1-inch thick oval and form loaf by rolling oval up from the long side, pinching the seam together as you roll the dough, tucking ends to form the loaf.
• Place in lightly greased loaf pan (I spray with cooking spray), and let rise, covered, at 85 degrees F for 1 1/2 to 3 hours.
• When the dough rises 1 to 2 inches above the edges of pan, it is ready to bake.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake an additional 30 to 40 minutes (baking time varies according to your oven and your personal taste--some like a darker crustier bread than others).
• Remove loaf from oven and brush the top lightly with melted butter; turn loaf out of the pan and cool on wire rack.
• If you prefer, you can shape this into a round or oval loaf and bake on a baking sheet.

SOURDOUGH MOLASSES BROWN BREAD

Steps:

• Place all of the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the dough hook knead for about 10 minutes. Check for gluten development. If it is not at windowpane yet, let rest for 10 minutes then knead again for 5 minutes. Repeat as many times as it requires to achieve windowpane development.
• Once the dough is a slightly sticky but cohesive mass and has achieved windowpane development, cover and let rise until double for about 8-10 hours.
• When the dough has doubled prepare two loaf pans with a light greasing and dusting of flour.
• Dump dough out onto a lightly floured counter and shape into loafs. Place in the loaf pans and cover (I put them inside a clean garbage bag and twist it trapping air inside so that the bag isn't touching the loaves). Let proof in the covered pans for another 6-8 hours or until they have reached the top of the pans or a little over the top of the pans.
• When the final proofing is done preheat the oven to 400*f and brush the tops of the loaves with melted butter or cream.
• Bake at 400*f for 10 minutes then turn the oven down to 375*f and bake another 20-30 minutes for a total of 30-40 minutes. Or until fragrant and browning.
• Take out of the oven and let stand for 5 minutes then turn out of the pans and let cool the rest of the way. Enjoy!

SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• For the levain: Combine the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, water and starter in a medium bowl and mix to combine. Cover and let sit at room temperature until bubbly and increased in volume by about 20 percent, about 8 hours.
• For the dough: Add the all-purpose flour, water and whole-wheat flour to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Weigh out 7 ounces of the levain (about 1 cup) and add to the mixer (discard any remaining levain). Mix on low until a shaggy dough forms. Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Add the salt to the dough and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes; the dough should feel a bit sticky and wet but look smooth and very stretchy. Scrape the dough into a plastic or glass container about twice its size. Cover and let sit at room temperature until puffed, about 45 minutes.
• Put the dough on a floured work surface, flatten it gently, then fold in thirds like a business letter. Transfer it back to the container. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 45 minutes.
• Repeat the folding process one more time, transfer back to the container, cover and let sit at room temperature for another 45 minutes. After the third 45-minute rest, the dough should feel soft and pillowy; when pressed with a finger, it should leave an indentation that begins to spring back.
• Gently scrape the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide in half using a bench scraper. Shape each piece loosely into a round by gently tucking the edges under. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
• Drape 2 kitchen towels into 2 medium (8-inch) bowls and dust very generously with flour. Dust the top of the dough rounds very lightly with flour and flip over using a bench scraper. Flatten one piece of dough into a circle, then fold the left and right sides of the dough over the center. Keeping tension in the dough, begin folding down from the top edge in 3 segments, sealing the bottom edge with the last fold. Loosely cup the dough and, using your hands and the tension between the board and the dough, pull the bread very slowly towards yourself while creating a taut ball. Gently flip the dough ball over and into one of the prepared bowls. Cover loosely with another kitchen towel. Repeat the process with the second piece of dough. Place both in a warm place to rise until about 1 1/2 times their size, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
• About 20 minutes before baking, position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven, put a 4-quart Dutch oven and lid on the rack and preheat to 500 degrees F. When preheated, carefully transfer the hot Dutch oven to a heatsafe surface with oven mitts (leave the lid in the oven). Flip one round of dough over into the Dutch oven. Using a sharp knife, scissors or bread lame, score the top of the bread in a cross or desired pattern. Return to the oven, immediately cover with the lid and bake for 20 minutes. Lower the temperature to 425 degrees F, uncover and bake until dark brown, about 10 minutes more. Transfer the bread to a cooling rack to cool completely. Return the empty Dutch oven to the oven, raise the temperature to 500 degrees F and let heat for 10 minutes before repeating the baking process with the second dough round.

SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• For the levain: Combine the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, water and starter in a medium bowl and mix to combine. Cover and let sit at room temperature until bubbly and increased in volume by about 20 percent, about 8 hours.
• For the dough: Add the all-purpose flour, water and whole-wheat flour to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Weigh out 7 ounces of the levain (about 1 cup) and add to the mixer (discard any remaining levain). Mix on low until a shaggy dough forms. Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Add the salt to the dough and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes; the dough should feel a bit sticky and wet but look smooth and very stretchy. Scrape the dough into a plastic or glass container about twice its size. Cover and let sit at room temperature until puffed, about 45 minutes.
• Put the dough on a floured work surface, flatten it gently, then fold in thirds like a business letter. Transfer it back to the container. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 45 minutes.
• Repeat the folding process one more time, transfer back to the container, cover and let sit at room temperature for another 45 minutes. After the third 45-minute rest, the dough should feel soft and pillowy; when pressed with a finger, it should leave an indentation that begins to spring back.
• Gently scrape the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide in half using a bench scraper. Shape each piece loosely into a round by gently tucking the edges under. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
• Drape 2 kitchen towels into 2 medium (8-inch) bowls and dust very generously with flour. Dust the top of the dough rounds very lightly with flour and flip over using a bench scraper. Flatten one piece of dough into a circle, then fold the left and right sides of the dough over the center. Keeping tension in the dough, begin folding down from the top edge in 3 segments, sealing the bottom edge with the last fold. Loosely cup the dough and, using your hands and the tension between the board and the dough, pull the bread very slowly towards yourself while creating a taut ball. Gently flip the dough ball over and into one of the prepared bowls. Cover loosely with another kitchen towel. Repeat the process with the second piece of dough. Place both in a warm place to rise until about 1 1/2 times their size, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
• About 20 minutes before baking, position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven, put a 4-quart Dutch oven and lid on the rack and preheat to 500 degrees F. When preheated, carefully transfer the hot Dutch oven to a heatsafe surface with oven mitts (leave the lid in the oven). Flip one round of dough over into the Dutch oven. Using a sharp knife, scissors or bread lame, score the top of the bread in a cross or desired pattern. Return to the oven, immediately cover with the lid and bake for 20 minutes. Lower the temperature to 425 degrees F, uncover and bake until dark brown, about 10 minutes more. Transfer the bread to a cooling rack to cool completely. Return the empty Dutch oven to the oven, raise the temperature to 500 degrees F and let heat for 10 minutes before repeating the baking process with the second dough round.

SOURDOUGH BROWN BREAD

Steps:

• If using an ABM, place ingredients in bread machine pan in order according to the manufacturer's specifications.
• Select dough cycle and press start.
• If using KitchenAid mixer, or doing by hand, combine all ingredients and knead.
• Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and shape into desired loaf.
• Place in greased loaf pan and let rise, covered, until dough has doubled.
• Uncover and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until bread sounds hollow when tapped.
• Immediately remove from pan and let cool on wire rack.
• For a soft crust, brush top with melted butter.

WHOLEMEAL SOURDOUGH LOAF

Steps:

• To make a sourdough starter: whisk 50g of the strong white flour and 50g of the strong wholemeal flour with 100ml slightly warm water until smooth. Transfer to a large jar or plastic container. Leave the lid ajar for 1 hr or so in a warm place, then seal and set aside for 24 hours. For the next six days, you will need to 'feed' it. Each day, tip away half the original starter, add an extra 25g of each flour and 50ml slightly warm water, and stir well. After a few days you should start to see bubbles on the surface, and it will smell yeasty. On day seven, the starter should be bubbly and smell much sweeter. It is now ready to be used.
• To make the sourdough bread: tip both the flours, 325ml warm water, the salt and the starter into a bowl, or a mixer fitted with a dough hook. Stir with a wooden spoon, or on a slow setting in the mixer until combined - add extra flour if it's too sticky or a little warm water if it's dry. Tip onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 mins until soft and elastic - you should be able to stretch it without it tearing. If you're using a mixer, turn up the speed a little and mix for 5 mins.
• Place the dough in a floured bowl and cover with cling film. Leave in a warm place to rise for 3 hrs. You may not see much movement, as sourdough takes much longer to rise.
• Line a medium bowl with a clean tea towel and flour it really well or flour a proving basket. Tip the dough back onto your work surface and knead briefly to knock out any air bubbles. Shape the dough into a smooth ball and dust it with flour.
• Place the dough, seam-side up, in the bowl or proving basket, and leave at room temperature for 3 hrs, or in the fridge overnight, until risen by about a quarter.
• Place a large baking tray in the oven and heat to 230C/210C fan/gas 8. Fill a small roasting tin with water and place in the bottom of the oven to create steam. Remove the tray from the oven, sprinkle with flour, then tip the dough onto it.
• Slash the top a few times with a sharp knife to make a pattern, then bake for 35-40 mins until golden brown. It should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Leave to cool on a wire rack before slicing.

SOURDOUGH NEW ENGLAND BROWN BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients.
• In a smaller bowl, mix together the molasses, milk, and sourdough starter
• Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir to mix well.
• Grease the inside of 4 wide-mouth pint canning jars with butter.
• Divide the dough among the jars.
• Cover each jar with aluminum foil.
• Place jars in a canning basket. Lower basket into a water bath canner with boiling water. The water should be about ⅔ of the way up the jars.
• Reduce heat and steam bread for 1 - 1½ hours or until done. Check occasionally to make sure the canner doesn't boil dry.
• Remove from canner. Let cool slightly. Remove bread from the jars. You may need to run a butter knife down the side of the jar to gently dislodge the bread.
• Cool on a cooling rack.
• Sliced bread can be steamed to re-heat.
• Optional Steaming Directions:
• Use a large pot instead of the water bath steamer. Place something on the bottom of the pot to keep the jars off of the bottom, canning lids or crinkled aluminum foil or a steamer basket would work. Instead of canning jars use 4 clean, 15 oz cans.
• Optional Baking Directions:
• Spoon batter into a greased bread loaf pan. Bake at 325 degrees for one hour.

SOURDOUGH CINNAMON SWIRL BREAD

Steps:

• Put ingredients into bread machine in the order in which they are listed.
• Run through the dough cycle but remove dough before it rests to rise.
• Roll out dough on lightly floured surface into a rectangle.
• Spread with softened or melted butter and sprinkle with sugar and a very generous amount of cinnamon.
• Roll up tightly, as for cinnamon rolls.
• Moisten edge with water and seal.
• Place in greased pan (s), cover and let rise until double.
• Be patient, as rising time is totally dependent on your starter and how active it is.
• Uncover and bake at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Brush tops with butter.
• Remove from pan and cool on rack.
• Note: You can make this into one large loaf, or several mini loaves.

HOW TO MAKE SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• First, make your starter. In a large bowl, mix together 100g of the flour with 125ml slightly warm water. Whisk together until smooth and lump-free.
• Transfer the starter to a large jar (a 1-litre Kilner jar is good) or a plastic container. Leave the jar or container lid ajar for 1 hr or so in a warm place (around 25C is ideal), then seal and set aside for 24 hrs.
• For the next 6 days, you will need to 'feed' the starter. Each day, tip away half of the original starter, add an extra 100g of flour and 125ml slightly warm water, and stir well. Try to do this at the same time every day.
• After 3-4 days you should start to see bubbles appearing on the surface, and it will smell yeasty and a little acidic. This is a good indicator that the starter is working.
• On day 7, the starter should be quite bubbly and smell much sweeter. It is now ready to be used in baking.
• Tip the flour, 225ml warm water, the salt, honey and the starter into a bowl, or a mixer fitted with a dough hook. Stir with a wooden spoon, or on a slow setting in the machine, until combined - add extra flour if it's too sticky or a little extra warm water if it's too dry.
• Tip onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 mins until soft and elastic - you should be able to stretch it without it tearing. If you're using a mixer, turn up the speed a little and mix for 5 mins.
• Place the dough in a large, well-oiled bowl and cover. Leave in a warm place to rise for 3 hrs. You may not see much movement, but don't be disheartened, as sourdough takes much longer to rise than a conventional yeasted bread.
• Line a medium-sized bowl with a clean tea towel and flour it really well or, if you have a proving basket, you can use this (see tips below). Tip the dough back onto your work surface and knead briefly to knock out any air bubbles. Shape the dough into a smooth ball and dust it with flour.
• Place the dough, seam-side up, in the bowl or proving basket, cover loosely and leave at room temperature until roughly doubled in size. The time it takes for your bread to rise will vary depending on the strength of your starter and the temperature in the room, anywhere from 4-8 hrs. The best indicators are your eyes, so don't worry too much about timings here. You can also prove your bread overnight in the fridge. Remove it in the morning and let it continue rising for another hour or 2 at room temperature. The slower the rise, the deeper the flavour you will achieve.
• Place a large baking tray in the oven, and heat to 230C/210C fan/gas 8. Fill a small roasting tin with a little water and place this in the bottom of the oven to create steam. Remove the baking tray from the oven, sprinkle with flour, then carefully tip the risen dough onto the tray.
• Slash the top a few times with a sharp knife, if you like, then bake for 35-40 mins until golden brown. It will sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Leave to cool on a wire rack for 20 mins before serving.

BASIC BUT BEAUTIFUL SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• Pour the sponge in a bowl and add the sugar, salt and oil or margarine.
• Mix well and then knead in the flour a half-cup at a time.
• Knead in enough flour to make a good, flexible bread dough- you may use slightly more or less than the three cups indicated, depending on how runny your starter is.
• Just keep adding until it looks like any other bread dough.
• You can add the flour by hand, with an electric mixer, a bread machine on dough cycle or a food processor.
• Find a warm place and let the dough rise, covered loosely by a towel (I use my airing cupboard but a slightly warm oven works well too-- don't keep it on, just turn it on for a moment to warm it up before turning it off and putting the dough in).
• If you're using a bread machine's dough cycle, let it rise in the machine.
• Note that sourdough rises more slowly than yeast bread.
• Just let it keep going until it's doubled in bulk.
• Punch the dough down and knead it a little more.
• Make a loaf and place it on a lightly greased baking sheet.
• Slit the top if you like, and cover the loaf with a paper towel and place it in a warm place to rise again, until doubled in bulk.
• Place the pan with the loaf in your oven, and then turn your oven to 350 F or 190 C and bake the bread for 30-45 minutes.
• Do not preheat the oven.
• The loaf is done when the crust is brown and the bottom sounds hollow when thumped with a wooden spoon.
• Turn the loaf out onto a cooling rack or a towel and let it cool for an hour before slicing.

SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• 9:00AM (Day Before Baking):.
• Make the levain by combining 25 grams mature starter, 25 grams whole wheat flour, 25 grams bread flour and 50 grams warm water (80°F), in a Mason jar, until well combined. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and store in a warm spot until it doubles in size, about 5 hours. I like to put it in the oven (no heat) with the light turned on.
• 12:00PM (Day Before Baking):.
• About halfway through the levain's rising time, make the autolyse. In a large bowl, combine the bread flour, spelt flour and 350 grams of the water. Use your hands to squeeze the flour into the water until all of the flour has been hydrated. Use a plastic dough scraper to scrape any bits of the dough from your hands. At this point, we're not looking for a smooth dough at all. We just want the flour hydrated with water. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest alongside the levain.
• 2:00PM (Day Before Baking):.
• This step of the process is called bulk fermentation. At this point your levain should have doubled in size. Measure out 100 grams of levain and add it to the autolyse. Use your hands to incorporate the two mixtures together by poking your fingers through the dough. Then you can start folding the dough unto itself until it becomes uniform. Let rest for 15 minutes. Then sprinkle in the salt and pour the remaining 25 grams water on top. Fold the dough onto itself until it comes together once again. You might find that the water and dough separate a bit but continue folding until the dough becomes uniform and soft.
• Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rest in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 4 to 5 hours. This depends on the temperature of your kitchen and the temperature of your water. The best part about this recipe is that you don't have to knead the dough too much. You just have to fold the dough onto itself a few times during this rest.
• Every 30 minutes uncover the dough and fold it onto itself by wetting your hands and going into one side of the dough and pulling and stretching it up and over onto itself. Do this a few times, rotating the dough each time. Cover, return to rest and repeat a few 4 to 5 more times during the bulk fermentation period.
• 7:00PM (Day Before Baking):.
• Carefully transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Fold the dough onto itself from top to bottom and then side to side. Cover loosely and rest for 20 minutes. Flip the dough over and then shape into a round smooth ball as best as you can.
• Dust a proofing basket or large round bowl (lined with a clean kitchen towel) with rice flour. Rice flour doesn't absorb into the dough, which will prevent it from sticking to the bowl. Transfer the dough into the prepared basket or bowl, round smooth side down. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge overnight.
• 8:30AM (Morning Of):.
• Place a 5 qt or larger dutch oven (with the lid) in the oven and preheat to 450°F for 1 hour.
• 9:30AM (Morning Of):.
• Remove the dough from the fridge. Cover with a small piece of parchment paper and place a pizza peel or cutting board on top. Flip over and then remove the bowl from the top. Dust the top of the bread with a thin layer of bread flour. Use a sharp bread lame or sharp paring knife to cut a design on top.
• Using heavy-duty oven mitts, carefully remove the pot from the oven and uncover. Use the parchment paper to carefully transfer the bread (along with the paper) to the hot pot. Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 30 minutes until deep golden brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 208°F.
• Remove the pot from the oven and carefully lift the bread out of the pot, using the parchment paper to grab it. Place on a wire rack and allow to rest for 1 hour before cutting and enjoying.
• Useful Tools:.
• Plastic dough scraper.
• Bread proving basket.
• 5 qt Dutch oven.
• Bread lame.

BROWN LOAF

Steps:

• Mix your choice of brown flour with the white, the yeast and salt in a large mixing bowl. Put in the butter and rub it into the flour. Stir in the seeds if using. Make a dip in the centre of the flour and pour in almost 300ml hand warm (cool rather than hot) water, with a round-bladed knife. Then mix in enough of the remaining water and a bit more if needed, to gather up any dry bits in the bottom of the bowl and until the mixture comes together as a soft, not too sticky, dough. Gather it into a ball with your hands.
• Put the dough on to a very lightly floured surface and knead for 8-10 mins until it feels smooth and elastic, only adding the minimum of extra flour if necessary to prevent the dough sticking. Place the ball of dough on a lightly floured work surface. Cover with an upturned, clean, large glass bowl and leave for 45 mins-1 hr or until doubled in size and feels light and springy. Timing will depend on the warmth of the room.
• Knock back the dough by lightly kneading just 3-4 times. You only want to knock out any large air bubbles, so too much handling now will lose the dough's lightness. Shape into a ball. Cover with the glass bowl and leave for 15 mins.
• Now shape to make a tin loaf Grease a 1.2-litre capacity loaf tin (about 23 x 13 x 5.5cm) and line the base with baking parchment. Using your knuckles, flatten the dough into a rectangle about 25 x 19cm. Fold both shorter ends into the centre like an envelope, make a ¼ turn, then flatten again into the same size and roll up very tightly, starting from one of the short ends. Roll the top of the dough in extra seeds and place in the tin with the join underneath, pressing the seeds gently into the dough. Cover with a clean tea towel. Leave for 40-45 mins, or until risen about 5cm above the top of the tin.
• Put a roasting tin in the bottom of the oven 20 mins before ready to bake and heat oven to 230C/210C fan/gas 8. Put the risen bread in the oven, carefully pour about 250ml cold water into the roasting tin (this will hiss and create a burst of steam to give you a crisp crust), then lower the heat to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Bake for about 30 mins or until golden, covering with foil for the last 5 mins if starting to brown too quickly. Leave in the tin for 2-3 mins, then remove and cool on a wire rack. If you tap the underneath of the baked loaf if should be firm and sound hollow.