SOURDOUGH BREAD - Maynard's Recipe

SOURDOUGH BREAD AND STARTER

Ingredients

Starter:

• 3 1/4 ounce packages of active dry yeast NOT instant yeast
• 1 cup warm water 100-110 degrees

Starter Feed:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 tbsp instant potato flakes
• 1 cup warm water 100-110 degrees

Bread:

• 1 cup starter that has been fed (from above ingredients)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup corn oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups warm water 100-110 degrees
• 6 cups bread flour

Instructions

Starter:

1.                 In a glass or plastic bowl, combine yeast and water. Cover and refrigerate for 3 to 5 days. Do not store in a metal container.

Starter Feed:

1.                 In a medium sized bowl, mix together sugar, potato flakes, and warm water. Combine with starter. Again, do not use metal container.

2.                 Let starter sit out at room temperature for 5 to 12 hours.

3.                 To make bread, take out 1 cup of the fed starter, and return the remaining starter to refrigerator. To keep the starter in the refrigerator alive for future bread, you need to feed it with above feed ingredients every 3 to 5 days. Each time you feed the starter, you need to either use 1 cup for bread, or throw out a cup (if you do not do this it will deplete your starter).

4.                 Alternatively, you can double the bread recipe. A double recipe uses almost of the starter.

Bread:

1.                 In a very large bowl, combine sugar, corn oil, salt, water, bread flour, and one cup of fed starter.

2.                 Once the dough has come together into a stiff batter, spray another large bowl with cooking spray.

3.                 Place dough in prepared bowl and turn dough over so that all sides of dough are covered with spray.

4.                 Cover bowl with a kitchen towel and let sit for 8-12 hours (overnight is perfect).

5.                 After 8-12 hours, punch down the dough and divide it into thirds.

6.                 On a floured surface, knead each third of dough 8 to 10 times.

7.                 Spray three loaf pans with cooking spraying and place dough in each of the pans. Turn dough over in prepared pan so that each side is coated with the cooking spray.

8.                 Cover pans with kitchen towel and let rise 5-8 hours.

9.                 Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes, or until tops are golden brown. Brush tops of bread with butter.

Makes 8 mini loaves.