Sourdough Bread

Sourdough is one of my favorite types of bread. Simple to make sandwich bread.

Course Breakfast or Brunch

Cuisine American, Southern

Prep Time 2

Cook Time 40

Total Time 2 40

Servings loaves

Calories 3721kcal

Author Jessica Robinson

Ingredients

Sourdough Starter

100 grams all-purpose flour (unbleached)
100 grams lukewarm water

Sourdough Bread

½ cup whole milk
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 cup water lukewarm
2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (.25-ounce packet)
1 cup sourdough starter (active or discard)
1 teaspoon salt
4 to 4 ½ cups bread or all-purpose flour (unbleached)
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

Instructions

Sourdough Starter

Use a kitchen scale to measure the ingredients into a Mason jar or another jar. Use a wooden spurtle or small spatula to mix ingredients well. Cover loosely and let sit on the counter in a warm area.
Each day, remove half of starter and discard. Add 50 grams unbleached all-purpose flour and 50 grams room temperature water. It will take roughly 3-4 weeks to create an active starter.
If feeding the starter daily, just keep on the counter. Keep refrigerated otherwise and feed weekly.

Sourdough Bread

Scald the milk in a small saucepan. Stir in the sugar to dissolve. Let cool to lukewarm. Pour the warm water into the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl; sprinkle with yeast and stir until dissolved.
Add the milk mixture, sourdough starter, salt, and 3 cups of the flour. Mix with the dough hook until smooth. Cut the butter into pieces and incorporate. Add an additional 1 cup flour to make a smooth dough. (This dough will be STICKY!!)
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, 2-3 minutes. Form into a ball and place into a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or disposable plastic shower cap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, 1 - ¼ hours.
Punch down dough and let rest for about 15 minutes. Grease two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans. Divide the dough in half and shape into loaves.
Transfer the dough to the loaf pans. Spray some plastic wrap with cooking spray, so that it doesn't stick, and loosely cover the loaves. Let rise in a warm area until doubled, about 1 - 1 ¼ hours.
Make a cut on the top, lengthwise of each loaf with a sharp serrated knife or a bread lame.
Use a pastry brush to brush the tops gently with an egg wash.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes. Remove from the bread pans and let cool completely.

Notes

I typically use a mixture of all-purpose and bread flour in bread recipes. I like to knead in the last cup or so of flour on the butcher block or whatever surface you roll dough out on.

Brush with an egg wash before baking. If you want a softer top, skip this step and brush with butter once the bread is done.

Baking bread in cast iron

Lodge brand cast iron bread pans are great for making bread! Place a pan of water on the rack below the bread in the oven. The steam created will make a crunchy crust.

Generously coat the cast iron loaf pans with either cooking spray, canola oil or lard. Use a clean dry paper towel to spread canola oil or lard evenly in cast iron.

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