Sourdough french bread for breadmaker

Yield: 16 Servings

Measure Ingredient
½ tablespoon Yeast
2¼ cup Flour, bread
1 cup Sourdough starter; room temp
1 tablespoon Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
½ cup Water; tepid

Put all ingredients except the water into the machine. Set it for french bread and start it. Slowly drizzle the water into the machine while it is running. Stop adding water when the dough forms a rough ball that cleans the sides of the pan. There should be no wet slime under the paddle. Let it knead for a while. The dough should get smooth and satiny. Touch the dough ball. It's okay if it barely sticks to your finger and feels tacky, but you finger should come away clean. This dough, not having any fat or oil is always just a hair stickier than normal white bread. It should not feel too dry. If it is dry, add a few drops of water. Close the lid and let it do its thing. After the loaf shaping stage you may mist the dough lightly with water to give it a crispier crust.

Rye variation: substitute ½ cup rye flour for ½ cup bread flour.

Add 1 tsp caraway seed.

Note: Feed the starter and let it stand at room temp at least 4 hours before starting the bread (usually over night) Store starter in the fridge when not in daily use. I feed it with ½ cup all purpose flour and ½ cup water.

Tested in DAK R2D2. Sylvia's comments: I wanted some sourdough loaves to take to work for a party, and used this one. I shaped the dough into 4 long ropes, which by the time they finished rising were bigger than I wanted. :( I baked them in a 350 oven for 20 minutes with a pan of hot water on the bottom rack to get a good crisp crust, then flipped them over and baked another 10 minutes to get the bottom crisp too. Came out great!

Posted on GT Cookbook echo by Joyce Monschein, 3-04-92 From the recipe files of Sylvia Steiger, GEnie THE.STEIGERS, CI$ 71511,2253, GT Cookbook echo moderator at net/node 004/005

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