Summer is here! That time of year where BBQs are going every weekend. Birthday parties seem to happen every few days. The best time of the year for pot lucks! We are all so busy and it seems like summer compounds it. So here is a very easy sourdough recipe. What is great about sourdough is that it is so much fun to work with. Be creative! The cost of making sourdough is so minimal which makes it a perfect item to take to all those parties and pot lucks. Yield about 5 cups of batter.
Basic Sourdough Bread Recipe
2 cups sourdough culture
3-plus cups white flour
½ cup cold water
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
½ cup milk
Mix the liquid culture with 2 cups of the flour and the water. Proof 12 hours at room temperature (68 degrees to 72 degrees Fahrenheit or 20 degrees to 22 degrees Celsius). Add the salt, sugar, and butter to the milk and mix. Add to the dough and mix well. Add the remaining 1 cup flour and mix vigorously. The yield is approximately 3 ½ cups of basic sourdough batter. If you wish to bake a white batter bread, proceed through steps 3 to 6 below.Grease a 4 ½ x 8 1/2 inch loaf pan if not nonstick. Spoon batter into the prepared pan. Proof covered at 85 degrees for 1 to 2 hours, or until dough rises ½ inch above the edge of the pan. Start in a cold oven set at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 29 degrees Celsius. Bake 70 minutes.Remove loaf from pan and cool on a wire rack.
With your kids being home for summer break, or better yet, the grandkids visiting this is a fun creature to make with them. A fun way to share a few minutes with the ones that you love. Get creative, make a dragon or a leaf or whatever happens to be the best idea at the time. Who says loaves of bread have to be boring! Plus the bonus is that whoever get to eat this wonderful bread will be a fan of yours!
