Sourdough Starter: The Big Pay Off!

Sourdough French Bread

1 1/2 cups warm water (105F)
1 envelope yeast
1 cup sourdough starter
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
6 cups flour, divided

Pour the warm water in to a mixing bowl and sprinkle yeast over the top. Set aside for 5 minutes. Add starter, sugar and salt. Beat in 3 cups of flour until blended. Cover with a tea towel and let rise in a warm, draft free spot (1 1/2-2 hours until doubled in size). Punch down the dough and add enough of the remaining flour to make a medium-stiff dough. Turn on to a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic adding flour as necessary.

Shape the dough in to 2 loaves, tapering the ends. Place on to a greased baking sheet and cover with a tea towel. Let rise in a warm, draft free spot 1-2 hours or until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 400F. Pour water 1 inch deep in a 9x13 baking dish and place in the bottom of the preheating oven. Brush the tops of the loaves with water and use a razor to slash the tops of the loaves in a diagonal. Bake 45 minutes or until golden and the loaves sound hollow when tapped.

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So many of you have asked about my starter. (woohoo! I have regular readers!) I finally got the bread made! It came out great but I think next time I will make it in loaf pans instead of free form. The dough ended up having to sit in it's second rising longer than it needed so it over rose and then deflated a bit. I had 2 very large, somewhat flat loaves - somewhat like the ciabatta loaves that the local bakery sells. It's good though. We'll have sandwiches on it tonight before Edmund's baseball game.