Sourdough Bread

by Luci Phillips

I love to bake. It brings back memories of a simpler time in my life when my children were small and I was at home. I loved making bread and homemade rolls. Now that I am older it rekindles special memories. I want you to make memories with your family now too. This recipe is a healthy bread that everyone may be able to enjoy. Here is a recipe that I am sure you will enjoy.

Sourdough is a specific type of bread that is created through natural fermentation. It involves suitable bacteria and wild yeasts that are present in the environment. Generally speaking it results in the bacteria being on the grain to eat. The bacteria makes organic acids. This also helps the bread be easier to digest for people with #autoimmune diseases such as #MCTD or lupus.

This is a basic go-to sourdough bread that is crusty on the outside, tender on the inside. Delicious goodness.

1/4 cup of active starter

1 1/3 cup warm water

4 cups bread flour

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

To make your bread dough, measure out your active sourdough starter into a bowl.

Add the water, and stir well with a fork to combine.

Add the flour and salt and stir well enough to combine.

Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let rest for 1 hour at room temperature

After an hour gently pull the edge of the dough near the side of the bowl and push it down into the middle of the bowl. Do this, rotating around the bowl until the dough starts to look like bread dough and becomes more of a ball.

Cover the bread dough with the towel and let it rise for 8 to 10 hours at room temperature.

After the bulk rise gently remove the dough from the bowl and onto a lightly floured surface. Let rise for about ten more minutes.

Using your hands, gently pull the dough ball towards you. Rotate it gently until you have formed a tight ball. Coat the mixing bowl with a bit of olive oil and put a small amount of flour in. Cover it with the warm towel again. This time only for 1 or 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Gently turn your bread out to parchment paper or a cutting board. Remove the dough from the bowl. Score the top with a knife.

Bake in a dutch oven for thirty minutes.

Remove the lid and put the dutch oven back in the oven for another 30 minutes

The bread will be very dark and sound hollow when tapped when it is done.

Remove the pan from the oven. Remove the bread from the pan and let it cool on a wire rack for one hour before slicing.

Enjoy!