MAKING SOURDOUGH BREAD STARTER RECIPES

Steps:

• To make the sourdough starter, whisk 50g strong white flour and 50g 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 hrs. 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, but make sure you keep half back and carry on feeding for your next loaf.
• Tip both the flours, 300ml warm water and the starter into a bowl, stir with a wooden spoon into a dough and leave somewhere for an hour.
• Tip in 25ml more water and the salt and bring everything together. Cover and leave somewhere warm for 3 hrs, folding the dough onto itself several times in the first hour. The dough should increase in size by about a third.
• 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, shape into a tight, 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 better still in the fridge overnight – until risen by about a quarter.
• Heat oven to 230C/210C fan/gas 8 and put a casserole dish with a lid or a baking stone in the oven for at least 30 mins to heat up, and a large roasting tin filled with boiling water underneath. After 30 mins, carefully remove the casserole dish, invert the loaf into it and slash the top. Cover and bake for 20 mins, then take the lid off and bake for another 20 mins. Or invert onto the baking stone, slash and bake for 40 mins, or until the crust is as dark as you like it.

Steps:

• For starter, dissolve yeast in warm water. Mix with 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar or honey and 1 cup milk (lowfat or 2% milk is OK). This is day 1 of 10 day prep. Use a plastic or glass container.
• Leave starter on the counter covered, and stir daily.
• On the 5th day, add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar or honey (or combination) and 1 cup milk. This is called 'feeding' the starter.
• Continue to stir daily. On the 10th day, add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar or honey and 1 cup milk. Starter can now be divided and given away or frozen. I usually wait a day to bake after feeding starter.
• If you are not baking the next day, you can refrigerate starter, but bring to room temperature on baking day, or the night before, if frozen.
• If you receive a cup of starter as a gift, feed immediately and wait a day before baking, to give starter a chance to ferment, at room temperature.
• To bake: Place 1 cup of starter in bowl of mixer. Put mixer on slow speed using a dough hook, and add all ingredients. All ingredients should be room temperature.
• Add 2-1/4 tsps. yeast, 1 cup water, 1 cup milk, 2 tbls honey, 1/4 cup oil, 1 cup whole wheat flour, 2 eggs, 2 tsps. salt, approximately 6-7 cups white flour. You can add more whole wheat and less white, as preferred.
• Knead dough for 10 minute in mixer. Dough should be slightly sticky, but smooth and shiny and should mostly all be on the dough hook when done.
• Remove dough from mixer bowl to a floured board and knead by hand two minutes, shaping into a large ball. Oil inside of mixer bowl.
• Place dough back into bowl, swirl around in oil, and turn over so all sides are oiled. Press down, cover with a clean towel and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled.
• Punch down and divide into two loaves. At this point, 1 ball can be made into 12-14 rolls. Divide into even balls, (if you have a scale, about 2-1/2 oz. each) place on greased cookie sheet, pressing down to a flat disc. Brush tops with beaten egg white mixed with 1 tbl water and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds, if desired.
• Cover and allow to rise for 1 hour, or until double in size.
• Preheat oven to 375° and bake rolls for 15-20 minutes, until browned.
• For loaf of bread flatten 1/2 of dough into a rectangle, to remove bubbles and roll up to a log. Roll two sides under and place log seam side down in greased loaf pan. Brush top with egg white and sprinkle with seeds. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes. Remove from pan and thump bottom of loaf. It should sound hollow when done.
• You can bake 1/2 of dough and shape other half into a loaf, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze. When you are ready to bake, remove from wrap and place in greased loaf pan. Cover and allow to defrost and rise in a warm spot. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with seeds. Bake as usual.