SANDRA'S SOUR DOUGH BREAD -- with wheat and herb options

A wonderful texture and tremendous flavor
you're bound to fall in love with...

Yield: 1 loaf

Bake: 35 to 40 Minutes

INGREDIENTS:

Sponge:

1/4 cup sour dough starter (straight from frig w/o replenishing)

1 cup AP Flour

1 cup warm water

Mix together all the sponge ingredients in a large glass measure, cover with plastic wrap, and let site a minimum of 12 hours before making sour dough bread.

Sponge you'll prepare 12 hours
prior to making sour dough bread
and will leave at room temperature

Replenish Starter (replenish, cover and let sit out for 12 hrs, then return to frig):

1 cup warm water

1 cup AP flour

Using a wooden spoon and a glass measuring cup, mix together replenish starter ingredients and pour into jar with sour dough starter. Cover and let stand at room temperature 12 hours before refrigerating.

Don't forget to replenish your
starter after removing
a portion for your sponge
~~~~
Sandra's Sour Dough Starter
recipe

Sour Dough Bread dough:

1 teaspoon instant yeast

6 tablespoons warm water

1 tablespoon honey

2-1/3 cups all-purpose (AP) flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour (or the same AP)

2 teaspoons kosher salt

--Herb Options: 2 tsp (more/less, to taste) finely chopped fresh rosemary 

   or 1 tsp dried (or any other herb you desire)

--2 TB melted butter, for brushing loaf while baking, then afterwards

METHOD

For the bread, in a stand mixer bowl fitted with a dough hook, dissolve yeast and 1/4 cup warm water, add honey and allow to proof for 5 minutes.

Stir in sponge, add white flour (and whole wheat flour, if using), salt [and herb option(s)]. Turn mixer on #2 to combine and continue mixing until dough comes away from sides of bowl to form ball, adding additional water 1 TB at a time if needed, depending upon surrounding humidity environment. Continue to knead on #2 for 10 minutes.

Place dough on oiled plastic wrap. Clean mixing bowl, then lightly oil (not olive oil) it, place dough ball into bowl and turn over to coat in oil all around. Cover with plastic wrap. Nest bowl on kitchen towels, both underneath and around it.  Let dough rise until doubled for 1-1/2 hours. Punch down, re-cover bowl, and let rise a 2nd time for about 45 minutes, until doubled.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead into a rectangle shape of your loaf pan. Let rest 5 minutes, then place in a sprayed, dark loaf pan, reshaping loaf a bit if need be. Cover with a clean cloth, and allow to rise until doubled, about 30-45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and place rack in the lower third of oven. Set aside an instant read thermometer.

Bake for 15 minutes, brush with melted butter, then return to oven and continue baking 20-25 minutes longer, or until internal temperature reads 192 degrees. (Note: If using a light or glass loaf pan, cooking times will vary in that it'll take longer to bake and won't brown as nicely.)

Remove from oven and brush final time with melted butter, slide a knife around edges to loosen, then remove from loaf pan to a rack. Cover loaf completely with a kitchen towel and let cool.

Store at room temperature in a lg. Ziploc bag for 2 days or refrigerate/freeze to store longer. ~ Enjoy!

A loaf of
Sour Dough-Rosemary Bread
I started last night (i.e., the sponge)
and finished the actual bread-baking portion this morning