Fresh from the Oven

I made a second batch of my Sourdough Bread yesterday and baked it last night. It tasted even better than my first two loaves,*** and was so pretty I couldn't resist taking a picture of it. I wish I could send a loaf to all of you, my sweet blogging friends. Thank you for taking the time to visit me. I sincerely appreciate the kind and gracious comments you leave for me. ______________ ***If you missed my earlier posts about my bread-making adventure and would like to read them, you can click here.

Making Bread -- The Rest of the Story

This is the final chapter of my bread-making story. (You can click here and here to read the first two posts, which include the recipes for the starter and the Sourdough Bread.)

My last post described how I fed the starter and had to let it sit for 8 to 12 hours. I not-so-patiently waited for eight hours to pass, then I mixed up my first batch of bread.

After I finished making the dough, I put it in a greased bowl, covered it with wax paper, and let it sit overnight.

I woke up early Sunday morning and couldn't wait to see if the dough had risen during the night. This is what I saw when I lifted the wax paper ...

Needless to say, I was pleased and excited!

Then came the fun part -- it was time to turn the dough out into the loaf pans. The recipe said to divide it into three equal parts, but I have only two large loaf pans, so I divided my dough between them (one had a little more than the other one).

Next, I brushed the tops of the dough with corn oil and let them stand for four hours before baking. The smell of my own loaves of bread baking in the oven was heavenly, and, even though they were kind of small, I was happy with the way they turned out ...

We had company for Sunday lunch and ate the largest loaf, and it was delicious. I loved the whole process of making bread -- from making the starter to cutting that first slice -- and I'm looking forward to the next time I make it. I won't have to make the starter again and won't be so apprehensive about it "working," so it should get easier and easier each time.

Making Bread -- DAY THREE

This is the second chapter and Day Three of my bread-making venture (or perhaps I should I say ADventure?). To read the first chapter, you can click here.

When I checked my starter this morning, I was so happy to see that it was BUBBLING!

We have company, so I don't have much time to elaborate, but I fed the starter this morning and will make my first batch of bread late this afternoon (pictures to follow).

Also, a couple of you have asked for my Sourdough Bread recipe. I have posted the recipes for the "Starter" and the bread below.

I also want to thank you, my sweet blogging friends, for your encouragement and support of whatever I share with you ... from pictures of cows and goats to my latest decorating efforts. Your sweet comments always mean a lot to me.

Sourdough Bread "Starter" Recipe Ingredients: 3/4th Cup Sugar 3 TBSP Instant Potato Flakes 1 Cup Warm Water 1/2 tsp Dry Yeast Instructions: Mix sugar, potato flakes, warm water, and yeast with wooden spoon in one-quart glass jar. Let stand out of refrigerator, loosely covered, for 2 or 3 days, or until it ferments. Store covered in refrigerator. Must be fed every 3-7 days for optimum freshness. Be sure and use wooden, glass, or ceramic bowls instead of metal. SOURDOUGH BREAD RECIPE STEP ONE: Put initial starter in refrigerator for 3 to 7 days. You must wait at least 3 days before feeding, but not over 7 days. Feed with the following: 1/2 to 3/4 Cup Sugar 3 TBSP Instant Mashed Potato Flakes 1 Cup Warm Water Mix well and add to starter. Let starter stand out of refrigerator (after feeding) 8 to 12 hours. Starter will be very bubbly. Take out one cup to make bread and return remaining starter to refrigerator. Keep in refrigerator 3 to 7 days and feed again. If you are not making bread, you can throw one cup away, but you can only feed the starter 2 or 3 times without making bread. This is to avoid depletion of starter. STEP TWO: In a large bowl, make stiff batter of: 1 Cup Starter 1/3rd Cup Sugar (or less, if too sweet) 1/2 Cup Corn Oil 1-1/2 Cups Warm Water 6 Cups Plain Flour (bread flour is better) 1 TBSP Salt (I use my electric mixer with a dough attachment to mix mine.) Grease another large bowl; put dough in and turn over (oil side up). Cover lightly with foil and let stand overnight. Do not refrigerate. STEP THREE: Next morning, punch down dough and knead 8 to 10 times on a floured board. Divide into 3 equal parts for bread. Put into greased loaf pans, brush lightly with oil. Let rise 4 to 5 hours (or all day is okay). Dough rises very slowly. Cover with wax paper and place in a warm place to rise. STEP FOUR: Bake in 350-degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Rolls will only take 20 minutes or so, and each oven varies. Remove and refrigerate bread, or freeze.

The Art of Making Bread

I think one of the most satisfying accomplishments is making bread. Several years ago, a friend shared her Sourdough Bread starter with me, and I handled it so carefully that you'd have thought she was entrusting a living thing to my care and feeding. And now that I think about it, I guess it was. I anxiously waited the required number of days (three to seven) until I could "feed" it, and on the third day (I couldn't wait any longer), I carefully measured its "food," and gently mixed it with the starter. Then I had to let it stand on the kitchen counter for another 8 to 12 hours before I could make bread for the first time. I probably checked it 50 times to see if it was "bubbling" and doing what it was supposed to do. It was almost like taking care of a baby. I was very fond of my little starter and couldn't wait to make my first loaves of bread. I'm happy to say that my first attempt was successful ... and I was hooked. There's just nothing in the world like the smell of homemade bread baking in the oven, and I was thrilled when I saw my own little loaves beautifully rising in their pans. This is not a picture of my bread, but mine looked like this (well, maybe it wasn't quite that high, but it was still pretty!). After a couple of years and many loaves of bread later, I found myself losing interest. I felt guilty every time I poured the cup of starter out without making bread, so I eventually quit. But recently, I've been thinking about how nice it would be to have some of that wonderful Sourdough Bread again ... and yesterday, I made a new "starter." After I very carefully mixed the ingredients, I realized that the jar I put it in was too small to give it room to "bubble." Since I didn't have a larger jar, I poured the starter into a two-cup measuring cup to store it. I'm trying to think positively, but I'm afraid that, after all that juggling between the two containers, it may not work. It has to sit for three days, so only time will tell. While writing this post, I came across this quote about making bread which I thought was appropriate: "I would say to housewives, be not daunted by one failure, nor by twenty. Resolve that you will have good bread, and never cease striving after this result till you have effected it. If persons without brains can accomplish this, why cannot you?” ~~ Housekeeping In Old Virginia, Marion Cabell Tyree. (1878) I am "resolved to have good bread," and will "never cease striving" until I get it right. After all, I definitely "have a brain," and if this starter doesn't work, I can always try again. To be continued ...