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Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Sourdough Bread Starter & Bread Recipe

I wish you could smell my house right now.  Oh, it smells SO good!  Fresh sourdough bread from the oven is cooling on the counter-top.  My kids and I already cut a small slice off the end to enjoy.  We just couldn't resist!

A friend had given me Sourdough Bread starter over 7 years ago and I remember how delicious it was.  We made many loaves before our tummies began to show the effects of too much yummy bread.  I never had the starter recipe but I have looked all over.  After much research, I recently came across one.  Now that I have tried it, I know that it is almost the same as the one from years ago.  After a few tweaks, (I just can't let a recipe be), I feel it is perfect.  You can't keep yummy bread like this to yourself, therefore, I am sharing it with you!  Doesn't it just look delicious!

If you have some patience, this will become a family favorite recipe!  Here are the recipes:

Sourdough Bread Starter

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons instant mashed potato flakes
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 cup warm water
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

Directions:
1.  Combine instant potatoes, sugar, water, and yeast in a covered container with a tight lid.  Let the starter sit on a counter for 5 days, stirring daily with a wooden spoon.  Do not use a metal bowl or metal spoon as it effects the yeast.
2. On the morning of the fifth day, feed the starter with 3 tablespoons instant potatoes, 3/4 cup sugar, and 1 cup warm water.  In the evening, take out 1 cup of the starter to use in a sourdough recipe.  Refrigerate the remaining starter.

3. Every five days, feed the starter 3 tablespoons instant potatoes, 3/4 cup sugar and 1 cup warm water. If starter is to be used in a recipe, let the fed starter rest at room temperature 6 hours before use. If starter is not being used in a recipe, keep refrigerated and discard 1 cup of starter after each feeding.  You can always pass along the 1 cup to a friend if you don't want to make some bread.  They will just need to let it sit for 5 days in order to have their own starter. Dispose of or make bread with one cup of starter 12 hours after every feeding.

Sourdough Bread Recipe
1 cup sourdough starter
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt           
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
6 cups bread flour
4 tablespoons melted butter (optional)

Directions:
1. Mix sugar, vegetable oil, salt, water, and 1 cup of sourdough starter together in a large bowl.  Add flour to the mixture. Grease or oil the dough. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise overnight. (Before and after pictured below).
2. The next day, knead the dough for a few minutes. Divide in half, and place into two greased 4 x 8 inch bread pans.  (I used my Pampered Chef Bread stoneware). Allow the dough to double in size. (Pictures of before and after dough doubling).
3. Optional:  Pour 2 tablespoons melted butter on top of each bread loaf.

4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 to 45 minutes, or until bread is light golden brown. You can use a cake tester or toothpick to test that it is cooked thoroughly. Turn out to cool on wire racks.
This is a delicious bread recipe for both any meal from breakfast to dinner (or dessert).  You can also use the dough recipe in your favorite cinnamon roll recipe or any recipe that calls for a yeast based dough.  I may even try this as our pizza crust one night.  Yummy!

If you try this, please leave me a comment on how it turned out for you!  I love hearing from our readers!

Please check our linky parties to see all the places we are linking up to today!

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67 comments:

  1. I love sourdough bread, but have never attempted to make my own before... Now I just might have to. it looks amazing!

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  2. Thanks Maggie! I hope you do try it out! If so, let me know how it turns out for you!

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    1. i baked my first batch of bread this morning. it was awesome. my family was tickled and so was i. i have been married almost 31 years and i am a pretty good cook. never could list bread as a talent. thank u for this recipe. love it. xxooxx

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  3. do you use wheat flour or white four? I remember buying sour dough bread from a local church as a kid, we loved it sooo much! I am hoping that this turns out half as good as it!

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  4. Sarah-use wheat or white as long as it is bread flour. I hope you enjoy the bread, let me know how it turns out!

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  5. oH YUMMMYYYYYYY-OOOO! this looks good! sour dough bread is my fav. I am going to definitely try this recipe!!!

    really creative! This is so cute!

    Come share this at my crafty mondays linky party!!!

    www.tootsiewootsie.blogspot.com

    I also have a $15 giveaway going on too!

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  6. Who wouldn't want their house to smell like that? YUM! I need to try this!

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  7. Thank you so much for the 2 great recipes! I've been looking for a sourdough started for ages. I would love to link your recipe to my blog after I give this a try, so I will keep you posted.
    Thanks again!
    Amber
    http://auntpegsrecipebox.blogspot.com

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  8. Hi I'm a new follower. Sourdough bread is my favorite bread. I am going to try this recipe!
    I'd be honored if you followed me back.
    Thanks
    Nancy

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  9. Thanks for linking this up!!! lookksss so yummy!

    XOXO

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  10. This is so great - thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
    Can't wait to give it a try. ;)

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  11. I don't have any sourdough-recipe so this is great. Need to try it some day. Just need to figure out what everything is since I live in Sweden and we use other word for some of the stuff.

    /Mari

    PS. I've some bread-recipes at my blog too, check them out!
    http://neomasfrestelser.blogspot.com/

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  12. It looks delicious!! Thanks so much for linking up. :)

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  13. Okay...I think I am going to try this as this will be my forth attempt to make sourdough bread. I am thinking it is me and not the recipes but ya never know. This looks delicious. I am bookmarking this and will let you know the verdict. Thanks so much for sharing!!

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  14. Visiting from the linky at Night Owl Crafting. Your bread looks incredible! I've been wanting to make a starter and my own sourdough bread for ages, but now I'm feeling especially motivated and your starter recipe sounds just perfect!

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  15. My Grandma taught me years ago how to make a sourdough starter, using flour...she made the most amazing bread with it. I never could get into the swing and get as amazing results myself. I wish she were still aware enough to help me figure it out again. :(

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  16. this does look good, and you make it sound pretty easy! Perhaps I'll give it a go!! I'm normally pretty stuck on the no knead bread because it's just so darn easy, but this is very tempting looking bread! Ha!!

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  17. I've never heard of making sourdough bread like this... it sounds DELICIOUS!

    If you get a chance, I'd love for you to link up to my What's Cooking Wednesday!

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  18. Yum! I love bread. I can almost smell the yummy goodness of yours. Thanks for sharing!

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  19. Ok I've tried sourdough a couple times and it's worked but hasn't tasted all that great. I think I might try it one more time giving your instructions a go.
    Thanks so much for posting this!
    Amy

    lifeonwillowdale.blogspot.com

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  20. Thanks so much for sharing this! I just learned to bake bread so I will definitely try this soon :) I'd love it if you'd share it on my linky party this weekend!

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  21. I can't wait to try this. My mother always had Sour Dough starter while I was growing up. It was such a fixture in our kitchen that it even had a name!

    BTW, I posted a link to this post on my blog.

    http://donnas-dayz.blogspot.com/2011/01/fabulous-fridays-2.html

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  22. I love sourdough, alas we have to do gluten free at my house :(. Thanks for sharing at Beyond the Picket Fence.

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  23. I am sooo happy you posted this I LOVE sourdough bread! Yummy! Thanks so much. :)
    Amie @ kittycatsandairplanes@gmail.com

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  24. Thanks for linking up! I can't wait to try this!

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  25. This is great! I have wanted a starter for so long!! Thanks for sharing and Thanks for being a part of "Amaze Me Monday".

    ~Dittle Dattle

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  26. Your bread is beautiful. I tried making sourdough years ago, and it turned out really ugly. I may have to try it again, now!
    ~Amanda

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  27. WOW! That looks SO yummy! I might actually give this a try! Thank you for sharing!
    Thanks for linking up to Making It With Allie! I can't wait to see what you have for next week!
    AllieMakes.Blogspot.com

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  28. Thanks so much for linking up to last week's What's Cooking Wednesday! When I can find time in my crazy schedule, I'm going to make this!

    I hope you'll stop by this week and link up more awesome recipes :)

    1/19 What's Cooking Wednesday

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  29. Thanks so much for linking up to Fantastic Friday! I absolutely love sourdough bread straight out of the oven . . . ahahahah. I am so going to try this.

    I cannot wait to see what you link up this week!

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  30. Just wanted to let you know I featured this today on FTF! Thanks so much for linking and grab a featured button if you would like! Thanks!

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  31. OK, I have got to try this! I just used sourdough for my sandwiches this week and I'm hooked now! No more "regular" sandwich bread for me! Thanks for linking up last week to Favorite Things Friday @ The Speckled Dog. Hope you'll come back this week!

    http://thespeckleddog.blogspot.com/2011/01/favorite-things-friday-no-8.html

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  32. Stopped by after seeing your beautiful bread at A few of my favorite things! I'm excited to try this for myself!
    Biz

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  33. Thanks for sharing. My boyfriend and I were just talking about this today and I needed a good starter recipe. I can't wait to try the recipe.

    saraandspice.blogspot.com

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  34. OMG!! This bread turned out amazing! I just baked my first two loaves last night and we only have a half a loaf left. I was always intimidated by the idea of making bread--No more! This was super easy, and the only down side is that I have to wait for five daysbefore I can bake more!

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  35. Can we double the starter to make more bread at one time?

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  36. Thank you for all the wonderful comments! I am so happy that the sourdough bread is turning out for everyone!

    Alysia-I'm not sure you would be able to double it in the same container. I've never tried that. You could put a starter in two containers. Once your starter is fed a few times, it is significantly more than you started with. The last time I fed it, I took out two portions and the bread turned out great. That is an idea as well.

    Please continue to let me know how your bread is turning out and what you might be using the starter for in other recipes!

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  37. Hello! Thanks for sharing your recipe. My starter turned out smelling great. When I made the bread though, it was really sweet! Perfect for cinnamon rolls and other treats, but not a great savory bread. Any ideas on how to tweak it to not be so sweet?

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  38. I just made this (after the 5 days wait period that felt like a month) and it turned out AMAZING!! I actually used all-purpose flour because late last night I discovered I didn't have bread flour, and it still worked perfectly.

    Thanks for such great instructions. This has become a family-favorite, we are counting down the 5 days until the next starter is ready!

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  39. I will definitely have to remember this! I love homemade bread and sourdough? Pure heaven!

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  40. Linz-if the bread is too sweet for you, make your starter again using only 3 tablespoons sugar. Feed it 3 Tblsp as well. That might cut down on the sweetness. I love the sweetness though. :)

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  41. Love it. I have been wanting to try sourdough for a long time. I think I just will now.
    I am having a link party featuring bread made from food storage ingredients and I would love it if you would link up.

    http://cookingwithmyfoodstorage.blogspot.com/2011/03/irish-soda-bread-food-storage-link.html

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  42. Just a quick question... do you count the day that you make the starter as one of the 5 days?

    Thanks for your help!!

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  43. theolivers3-I don't count the day that I make it as one of the 5 days. I think that extra day helps to ferment the starter better. I hope that helps.

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  44. I have never wanted to make bread until now...Thanks for the inspiration! I'm a new follower now as well. I just hope they have instant mashed potatoes where we live...if you have time, check out our lives in South Africa at http://withoutcomplexities.blogspot.com

    Have a great week!

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  45. I just made my first loaf from this starter. I only made 1 loaf because with the other we made a pizza crust. The pizza was absolutely delicious with the sourdough. As for the loaf .. it was good but too sweet. I love sweet breads but was wanting more of a sour flavor. I think I will cut the sugar back next time I make it and see if that helps. Otherwise it tasted pretty close to my yeast rolls with extra sugar :(

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  46. Sweet? Sweet? Did I hear SWEET? I love sweet bread! I am going to start some, think I will add some raisins too! Just got back from San Francisco several weeks back and all they serve there is sourdough EVERYWHERE! I did not know that it originated there. Thanks for the recipe!

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  47. This bread is so good and so very easy to make! I can remember my Mom making sourdough bread when I was a little girl and thinking that I would never bake bread when I got older because it took too long. I was so happy when I found your recipe!

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    Replies
    1. I am so glad that you love the bread so much, Katie! I love to hear that others love it as much as me. It truly is easy! Thanks again for taking the time to leave me a comment! I appreciate it! ~jill

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  48. You are right on the money with the recipe. I had received starter from my in-law 21 years ago . It made it all the way to the west coast & back. Then the jar was dropped & the starter ruined! The recipe for making your starter is the same as I used when reinventing my starter. It is now a two year old starter & the older the better, This is sooooo good and easy!

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  49. I have a sourdough starter that came with VERY complicated recipes for bread. This recipe is WONDERFUL! It is sweet, but OH SO GOOD! Mine turned out super light and fluffy, no hockey pucks here. Thank you so much for this great recipe!!!

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  50. I have really enjoyed making bread since I began my starter about a year ago. Recently, however, it seems to have lost some of its strength. The dough and then bread did not rise as much the last few time I made bread. What can I do to strengthen the starter?

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  51. Thanks so much, I haven't been able to find my receipe for the starter. We used to have at least 2 loaves in the house at all times for a while there, when I first started making it. I have some other little tricks I want to try adding to the dough and see how it comes out. I've made cheese, regular, and cinnammon the most. I just love this stuff!!!

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    Replies
    1. How can I make this gluten free? I have tried 4 times using gluten free all purpose and gluten free bread flour with xantham gum in it and I am having trouble getting it to rise. Tips?

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  52. Hi. It is day 5 of my starter, I fed it this AM and plan to make my first 2 loaves tonight with the starter. However, the starter is not at all bubbly. It only bubbled day 1 and nothing since. Is this normal or has something gone wrong?

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  53. I made this starter about 6 weeks ago, and since then have made the dough many times. It's worked beautifully every time. I've only made one loaf of bread. The rest of the dough I have used to make cinnamon rolls, pizza crusts, pizza pinwheels, pretzels, pretzel pizza bites (fill small pieces of dough with a small piece of string cheese wrapped in pepperoni, then made like pretzels). Everything has come out absolutely delicious. Sometimes I don't have time to use the dough right away, so after the first rise, I put in fridge and use when I'm ready. I've read that sourdough will store for up to 2 weeks. Thanks for the great recipe!

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  54. I am confused!The starter is to be fed every 5 days and allowed to rest for 6 hrs after feeding then use or discard 1 cup.The last line of the inst says to use or dispose of 1 cup 12 hrs after feeding.Can you simplify this for me?Thanks

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  55. Help. I am on day 4 of my starter and it has never bubbled once. Is this bad? All ingredients were fresh and I temp tested the water to 125 degrees. Does one recipe starter make enough for to remove 1 cup and have starter left over?

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  56. Just made my first batch of bread and it does come out rather sweet. I think this would be much better as a cinnamon roll bread or the like. Would rather have a bready flavored, tangy bread. You mentioned cut back on the sugar in the starter but your 'cut back' amount is exactly the same as the starter amount used. Can you cut back the amount used in the actual bread recipe? Loved the overall instructions, so easy to follow!!

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  57. I made this bread today and it is great! I added a little extra sugar because I was wanting sweet bread. My only complaint is that its a little dense. Is there a way to make it fluff up more?

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  58. This is a great tasting bread. It is not a true tangy sourdough but it is worth the time to make it. The smell wafting through the house is a plus.

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    Replies
    1. If you reduce the sugar to 2 Tablespoons and the oil to 1/3 cup it will taste exactly like the true tangy sour dough bread.

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    2. Ps. You would make this adjustment to the recipe when you are making the bread but you should use the same amount (3/4 cup) of sugar when you feed the starter as the sugar is what helps the fermenting process and keeps it active. Hope this helps.

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  59. I made a starter for this bread and baked my first loaves this morning. My starter was so active that the dough doubled in size within 2 hours and after I shaped the loaves it was
    ready to bake within a couple of hours as well. If I had let it set overnight as recipe
    indicated, it would have spilled out of the bowl and I would have had a real mess. I used only 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1/3 cup of oil in the recipe and it tasted like true sour dough bread. Can someone say, "DELICIOUS"?!!!! It was yummy not to mention the aroma as it baked!

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  60. feed is wrong, throughout. It should be: feed the starter 3 tablespoons instant potatoes, 3 tablespoons sugar, and 1 cup warm water.

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  61. Made this bread last week, it was delicious! It was sweeter than I expected but still yummy. I will do as a few have suggested and reduce the sugar and oil when I make the actual loaf. This is an easy recipe and the loaf is so light and fluffy. This is now my go-to sour dough recipe, Thank you for introducing me to it!!

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