Thom Hackett

Makes: 1 loaf

Made with organic flour.  Natural and Organic products are readily available in your supermarket.  Remember the starter is best when you use organic rye flour rather than wheat flour, perhaps because rye contains a low phytate content than wheat.

Ingredients

2 cups starter

3 cups organic flour (unbleached white or wheat)

2 tablespoons softened butter

4 teaspoons raw sugar

2 teaspoons Celtic sea salt

Cooking Method

A word about leftover starter.  There should be some leftover.  The leftover starter is your start for next time:  Put it into the jar, and give it a fresh feed of a half-cup each of flour and warm water.  Keep it in the fridge; you'll have starter again next time.

To the sourdough starter, add the sugar, salt, and butter. 

1. Mix well, then knead in the flour a half-cup at a time. 

2. Knead in enough flour to make a good, flexible bread dough. 

3. You can do this with an electric mixer, a bread machine on "dough cycle," or a food processor. 

4. You can also do it with a big bowl and your bare hands.

Keep in mind that flour amounts are approximate; flour varies in absorbency, and your sourdough starter can vary in wetness.

1. Use your judgment; treat it like ordinary white or French bread dough.

2. Trust your hands and eyes more than the recipe, always.

Let the dough rise in a warm place, in a bowl covered loosely with a towel (if you're using a bread machine's dough cycle, let it rise in the machine).

1. Note that sourdough rises more slowly than yeast bread; my starter takes about an hour or so, but some starters take much longer.

2. Let the dough double in bulk, just like yeast-bread dough.

3. When a finger poked into the top of the dough creates a pit that doesn't "heal" (spring back), you've got a risen dough.

Punch the dough down and knead it a little more.

1. Make a loaf and place it on a baking sheet (lightly greased or sprinkled with cornmeal).

2. Slit the top if you like, and cover the loaf with a towel and place it in a warm place to rise again, until doubled in bulk.

Place the pan with the loaf in your oven, and then turn your oven to 350^o Fahrenheit and bake the bread for 30-45 minutes.

1. Do not preheat the oven.

2. The loaf is done when the crust is brown and the bottom sounds hollow when thumped with a wooden spoon.

3. Turn the loaf out onto a cooling rack or a towel and let it cool for an hour before slicing.

You can double the recipe for two large two pound loaves.