Sourdough Bread From A Starter

When we visited our friends, Kyle and Tara, in Goodyear, Arizona, when we went on our vacation last month, they had just pulled out this amazing loaf of bread from the oven.  It was so fluffy and light and huge!  Tara cut off a piece and gave it to me so I could try it. For me to say it was the best sourdough bread I have ever had would be an understatement!  She showed me how she made a starter and explained how to keep it alive by feeding it.  Lucky me, she sent us home with some of her starter, so I too could make my own dairy free bread.

After feeding it for a few weeks, I finally made my bread.  I followed the directions to the "T" this time, and after a few text messages, will be following Tara's instructions instead.  Since the conventional method asked to make two separate loaves on a baking sheet, that is what I did.  Next time, I will put all the dough into a loaf pan and bake it that way.

Here are the instructions to care for your own starter.

Straight from Breadtopia's website, the instructions to get your hands on a starter are as follows:

• Step 1. Mix 3 ½ tbs. whole wheat flour with ¼ cup unsweetened pineapple juice. Cover and set aside for 48 hours at room temperature. Stir vigorously 2-3x/day. (“Unsweetened” in this case simply means no extra sugar added).
• Step 2. Add to the above 2 tbs. whole wheat flour and 2 tbs. pineapple juice. Cover and set aside for a day or two. Stir vigorously 2-3x/day. You should see some activity of fermentation within 48 hours. If you don’t, you may want to toss this and start over (or go buy some!)
• Step 3. Add to the above 5 ¼ tbs. whole wheat flour and 3 tbs. purified water. Cover and set aside for 24 hours.
• Step 4. Add ½ cup whole wheat flour and 1/4 to 1/3 cup purified water. You should have a very healthy sourdough starter by now.

And here is the recipe Tara gave me to actually make my bread.  The instructions bellow are directly from King Arthur Flour's website:

• 1 cup "fed" sourdough starter
• 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt (I left this part out)
• 5 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (this can be any brand)

1) Combine all of the ingredients, kneading to form a smooth dough.
2) Allow the dough to rise, in a covered bowl, until it's doubled in size, about 90 minutes.
3) Gently divide the dough in half; it'll deflate somewhat. 
4) Gently shape the dough into two oval loaves; or, for longer loaves, two 10" to 11" logs (This is where I will from not on place the entire batch of dough into a single loaf pan). Place the loaves on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and let rise until very puffy, about 1 hour. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 425°F.
5) Spray the loaves with lukewarm water.
6) Make two fairly deep diagonal slashes in each; a serrated bread knife, wielded firmly, works well here.
7) Bake the bread for 25 to 30 minutes, until it's a very deep golden brown. Remove it from the oven, and cool on a rack.   

The flavor of this bread is delish!  The texture is perfect and not super dense.  Once I get good at making this bread, I plan to venture out and start adding extra nutrients like flax seed, whole grains, etc..