Once I got Suzanne up and running, I wanted to find a recipe that could be used right away (instant gratification was my intent). Lo and behold, King Arthur Flour’s website to the rescue again!
Rustic Sourdough Bread
Ingredients
- 227 g ripe sourdough starter
- 340 g lukewarm water
- 1 to 2 tsp instant yeast
- 2 1/2 tsp salt
- 602 g Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
Optional Toppings
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp Italian Seasioning
- 1 tsp kosher salt
Directions
- Combine all ingredients, and knead until a smooth dough has formed. Form into a ball, and place in a lightly greased bowl and cover. Let rise, until it has doubled in size, about 90 minutes.
- Gently divide the dough in half, noting that it will deflate a bit.
- Gently shape the dough into two loaves. Place the loaves on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover lightly, and let rise until very puffy, about 1 hour (this may take longer – it will depend on the activeness of the starter as well as environmental conditions). Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F near the end of the rise time.
- Brush the loaves with olive oil, and sprinkle seasonings and kosher salt. (Alternatively , spray with lukewarm water and dust with flour.) Make two fairly deep diagonal slashes in each loaf using a serrated bread knife.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the loaves are a very deep golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool them on a wire rack.
Super easy to come together, and has the advantage of creativity when it comes to toppings. In the picture shown in the recipe, the loaf on the left is the one with the olive oil and Italian seasonings. The one on the right is just water, since I forgot to add the flour…
I made the mistake of telling MM that they were sourdough loaves, which meant he expected them to have a really tangy taste – they didn’t, probably for two reasons. First of all, I used a new starter, and it really was only providing a bit of rise (the instant yeast provides the rest). Second, there was not enough time for the flavor to build. I was far too interested in making something with the starter that I didn’t use a recipe that specified any kind of overnight proving.
All in all, it had a good taste, and I was pleased that it reminded me a bit of the type of bread that comes to the table at restaurants, and it was very good with the tasty olive oil that we keep getting from Eataly. But I agree – not as tangy as sourdough typically is.
But the main point? I have a starter that works!