Prep Time: 24 hours
Cook Time: 25 – 30 minutes
Servings: 10 Slices
Ingredients:
1 C “Fed” Sourdough Starter
1 ½ C Lukewarm Water, use more if needed to make a smooth dough
5 C Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1Tbs Sugar
2 ¼ tsp Sea Salt
½ – 5/8 tsp Sour Salt (citric acid), optional, for extra-sour bread
Directions:
Combine the starter, water, and 3 cups of the flour. Beat vigorously for 1 minute. Cover, and let rest at room temperature for 4 hours. Refrigerate overnight, for about 12 hours.
Add the remaining ingredients: 2 cups of flour, sugar, salt, and sour salt, if you’re using it. Knead to form a smooth dough. Allow the dough to rise in a covered bowl until it’s relaxed, smoothed out, and risen. Depending on the vigor of your starter, it may become REALLY puffy; or it may just rise a bit. This can take anywhere from 2 to 5 hours.
Understand this: sourdough bread (especially sourdough without added yeast) is as much art as science; everyone’s timetable will be different. So please allow yourself to go with the flow, and not treat this as an exact, to-the-minute process. Gently divide the dough in half. Gently shape the dough into two oval loaves, and place them on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and let rise until very puffy, about 2 to 4 hours. The longer you let it rise the more tangy the bread becomes.Don’t worry if the loaves spread more than they rise; they’ll pick up once they hit the oven’s heat.
Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 425°F. Spray the loaves with lukewarm water. Make two fairly deep horizontal slashes in each; a serrated bread knife, wielded firmly, works well here. Bake the bread for 25 to 30 minutes, until it’s a very deep golden brown. With 5 minutes remaining, brush the top with melted butter. Remove it from the oven, and cool on a rack.
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