Sourdough Loaf Bread

This sandwich bread has a mildly sour flavor that complements a variety of simple to gourmet sandwiches. Easily sliced for daily use, it also freezes well in a sealed plastic bag.

TIME
About 5 hours

SERVING SIZE
2 loaves

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Ingredients

3 cups VERY active sourdough starter
2 cups water
1 T. Salt
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup honey
7-8 cups Bread Baker’s Delight flour.

Directions

In the bowl of either your Bosch or KitchenAid® combine your sourdough starter, water, salt, oil, honey and 3 cups of flour, stir well. Slowly add remaining flour 1 cup at a time until dough reaches the desired consistency. (I like it a little more firm than regular yeast dough since it tends to collapse more easily if it’s too soft). Knead the dough for eight minutes, add a little more flour if needed. Let rest for 15 minutes in the bowl. Knead again for eight more minutes. Place dough in an oiled bowl and cover well with plastic wrap. Let rise for two hours in a warm place. Punch down and let rise 30 minutes more.

Grease 2 bread pans well, cut the dough into 2 pieces and shape each piece into a nice loaf. Place into greased pan, sprinkle top with a little flour, cover lightly with plastic wrap and let rise. Now this is the tricky part! It really depends on how active your starter is and how warm or cool your kitchen is as to how long it will take your bread to rise! I usually plan on 2 to 3 hours. When your bread has nicely risen, slash the top and place in your oven that is preheated to 325°. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until when you tap on the bottom of your loaf it sounds hollow. Remove from pan and place on cooling rack.