Rustic Sourdough Bread
Ingredients/Zutaten
- 1 cup (227g) ripe (fed) sourdough starter
- 1-1/2 cups (340g) water, lukewarm
- 1 to 2 teaspoons instant yeast (depending on health of starter)
- 2-1/2 teaspoons (15 g) table salt
- 5 cups (600 g) unbleached all-purpose flour (or bread flour for more gluten)
Instructions/Zubereitung
- Combine all ingredients, kneading to form a smooth dough.
- Allow the dough to rise, in a lightly greased, covered bowl at 70° to 75° F until it doubles in size (about 90 minutes).
- Gently divide dough in half; it’ll deflate somewhat. Pre-shape each piece of dough by pulling the edges into the center, turning it over so the seam is on the bottom, and rolling under cupped hands to form a ball.
- Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.
- For fat oval loaves, elongate each dough ball by gently rolling it back and forth on an un-floured work surface. For longer loaves, continue rolling until they’re 10" to 11" long.
- Place loaves on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and let rise until very puffy (about 1 hour).
- Towards the end of the rising time, preheat oven to 425° F.
- Spray loaves with lukewarm water and dust generously with flour.
- Make two fairly deep diagonal slashes in each using a serrated bread knife.
- Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until bread is a deep golden brown.
