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Procedure by Art
Baking bread is as much an art as a science, so all measurements are approximate and adjustable to your desired number of loaves.
I use a stainless steel bowl about 16 inches across the top fro the entire process of making this bread.
Time required is two twenty minute periods, approximately. With 45 minutes to two hours for rising time, and one hour baking time.
Procedure:
Place about four cups of stone ground whole wheat bread flour ( I grind my own from hard red Winter wheat berries, but good quality commercial will work) about the same volume of water. I use Pur brand water filter to eliminate undesirable chemicals in the water. Chlorine might damage the bread.
I then add between a cup and two cups of starter (more on this later) stirring the flour and water and then adding the starter and stirring until well mixed.
I then cover this with a towel which I use for no other purpose, and place this in the unheated oven with the inside light on which might require placing something in the door to ensure the light remains on thereby heating the oven and eventually the mix to a working temperature.
This then sits there for six to eight hours letting the starter do its work. I prefer to let it set thus overnight and finish it in the morning at my convenience.
The bowl is removed from the oven which should have a yeasty smell and be bubble covered.
Add two teaspoons of salt, optional, and ˝ to 2/3 cups of extra virgin olive oil, grape seed oil, or Canola oil. I prefer the olive and grape seed, but the canola is fine also, stirring after each addition.
Now add sufficient flower to make a not sticky dough. Use wooden spoons or paddles to stir the dough. Once sufficiently kneedable, spray your bread pans, I use iron/steel pans with or without nonstick coating and spray them with a nonstick spray whose base oil is the same as that used in the bread. Probably not a necessity, but it is easy to do and I do nothing at all difficult. Then proceed to kneed the dough in the same bowel. I set my timer for 12 minutes to ensure that at least ten minutes of kneading is given, but more is fine.
I use two sizes of pans: the big ones mentioned above into which I put 2 1/2 pounds of dough, and little ones into which I put 3/4 to 1 1/4 pounds of dough. The weighed dough must be worked in the hands slapping it if desired, and then folded with the fold side toward the bottom of the pan. After the pans are all filled the dough is then pushed down to cover the entire bottom of the pan. (We love the little ones, but I usually only make little ones if I have extra dough. I have made rolls of various shapes from this dough, as well as round loaves baked on a cookie sheet. Have fun, be creative!)
The filled pans are returned to the oven and light turned on the same as before.
Once the dough has risen about an inch above the pan top, about 45 minutes if all is proceeding well, longer if needed, remove the piece holding the oven door ajar and turn the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 23 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 375 degrees for an additional 20 minutes when you remove the small loaves, and let the large loaves continue for another 20 minutes. If only large loaves are baked, the 375 is set for 40 minutes.
When the loaves are removed from the oven, the pans are inverted over a cooling rack which should have the loaves falling out unassisted, and the loaves then turned right side up. They should be allowed to cool to near room temperature before slicing, one reason for making a round loaf that can be torn apart instead of slicing if you tend to impatience. I usually manage to let the small loaves to cool for the 20 minutes it requires for the large loaves to complete their baking cycle.
Starting Starter from scratch (the way the ancient Egyptians did it and probably how the Druids learned from them in whatever round about fashion that happened.)
Mix one cup flour (dark Rye flour can be used and might be faster than whole wheat flour) with one cup water in a glass or plastic container and let sit for several days at room temperature until it begins to work well, i.e., gets lots of bubbles and smells good. Then add another cup of flour and another of water and wait again. I would cover it loosely after the first few hours to reduce the possibility of poor tasting cells getting in the starter. If the starter does not make super tasting bread, throw it out and start over.
You can now use it immediately or place it in the refrigerator with the cover on tight until needed. Making more will not hurt anything, and less will have you in the danger of using it up and having to start the starter over again.
Each time you use some replace an equal or larger volume of flour and water. I let mine set out with the cover loose during the entire baking time, since I replenished the flour and water immediately after adding starter to the flour and water mix in the beginning. If your container is not large enough, the starter will happily overflow. If in doubt, I put a bowl or plate under the container.
You could use a commercial starter, I suppose, and then replenish it as described, I wouldn’t know. I got mine from my father-in-law, who claims it has lasted for more than two thousand years. He threw his out when it got dark, I just kept on using mine with no ill effect, and it has turned various colors at times, and I ignore that. You must decide such things for yourself.
The old timers had no refrigeration and not a lot of sanitation, but the sourdough was a staff of life in many situations, including our pioneers crossing the American wilderness.
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