Leo Bread Making Company, Round 3

Yes, round three. You missed round two. It wasn't good. Ick, really, I think I didn't put enough salt in it. Oh, and it never rose, so I mixed some yeast with flour and water and kneaded that into the first batch of dough and then it went crazy rising out of control. We ate it... but it wasn't great.

Here's a photo of Round 2 - it was kind of pretty, at least:



Round three was YUM. But it was the funniest looking loaf you ever did see. Check it out:



I think it looks like a mylar balloon. Or a football. But it had some of those yummy chewy sweet air pockets that I love in good bread. I'm going to try again and see if I can't get more of those pockets.

Here's my recipe, I adapted it from this Tuscan Loaf recipe on the King Arthur Flour website:

1 cup "fed" sourdough starter
1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
3 3/4 cups Bread Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt


Stir the yeast into the warm water. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add the sourdough starter. Mix well. Beat in the flour and salt until dough is stiff enough to knead. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place the dough in a well-greased bowl, turning to coat all sides, cover and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface without punching it down or handling it roughly. Gently form it into a large, round loaf by pulling all the edges underneath, gathering them and squeezing them together, leaving the top smooth. If you have a baking stone, place the loaf on a sheet of parchment paper; if you're using a pan, sprinkle some cornmeal on the bottom of the pan, and place loaf on it. Cover with a towel, and set aside to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Slash the top of the bread in a tic-tac-toe pattern. If you're using a baking stone, use a peel to transfer the loaf, parchment paper and all, to the stone in the oven. Otherwise, put the pan of bread into the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, misting bread with water from a spray bottle three times during the 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 400°F and bake 25 to 30 minutes longer. Makes 1 large loaf of bread.

If you need starter, this link will get you um... started! http://www.breadtopia.com/make-your-own-sourdough-starter/