Country Farmhouse White
Don’t you just love the smell of fresh homemade bread baking?
It’s one of my favorite memories of my Grandmother’s kitchen! She was ALWAYS baking up a storm, she was incredible at taking what was at hand and whipping up a hearty meal or a scrumptious dessert!
Sadly, I have not inherited her knack or finesse in the kitchen!
Last winter, my daughter Carrie, gave me a “starter” for sourdough. SHE inherited the finesse in the kitchen and a true love of all things “culinary”.
The following recipe is easy to make, delicious to eat, and keeps for about a week, wrapped in a large zip lock bag and stored at room temperature. I watch to see how often we’re eating the bread, if not daily, I store the bread in the refrigerator, in the zip lock bag, sealed.
The cookbook I’m using was a gift from my daughter Carrie, and the starter was as well. If you do not have a starter, the cookbook has instructions to make your own, which is the key ingredient for this recipe. The cookbook title is Artisan Sourdough, Made Simple, by Emilie Raffa.
Country Farmhouse White
Equipment
- oven
- 2 bowls,, 1 large , 1 medium
- measuring cups, 1/4, 1/3, and 1 C.
- measuring spoons, 1 tbls,1 tsp, 1/2 tsp.
- loaf pan, 9×5
Ingredients
- 1/3 C. starter active and bubbly
- 1 1/4 C. water warm
- 1 tbs. sugar
- 1 tbs. extra virgin olive oil plus more for coating loaf pan
- 3 1/3 C. bread flour
- 3/4 C. all-purpose flour plus one tbs.
- 1 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
Instructions
- Make the Dough: In a large bowl, whisk the starter, water, sugar and oil together, with a fork.
- Add the flours and salt.
- Combine to form a rough dough, then finish mixing by hand to absorb all of the dry bits.
- Cover the dough ball with a damp towel and let rest for 30 minutes to an hour., this just depends on your schedule.
- Meanwhile, replenish your starter and store as usual. After the dough has rested, work it into a smooth ball, about 20 seconds, the dough will feel softer than earlier.
- Bulk Rise: Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let rise at room temperature, until double in size, about 8-10 hours, in a 70* room.
- Shape: Remove the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently dimple the dough with your fingers, to release air bubbles. Roll the dough into a log, tucking ends under. Let rise for 5-10 minutes.Meanwhile, lightly coat the 9×5 loaf pan with oil. With floured hands, cup the dough to tighten its shape, and place into loaf pan, seam side down.
- Second Rise: Cover the dough and let rest until it has risen to about 1" over the rim of the loaf pan. Depending on room temperature, this takes about 1-2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 375* F.
- Bake the dough on the center rack for 40-45 minutes. The loaf will be golden brown with a firm crust. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- The sandwich loaf will last 3-5 days in a plastic bag, at room temperature.
- Variation: For a richer sourdough, replace water with warm milk, and oil with melted unsalted butter.
