After visiting Boudin’s in San Francisco, I have been itching to create more sourdough recipes. Have you ever been to Boudin’s? It is a delicious sourdough restaurant on Fisherman’s Wharf. Unfortunately their tours were not operating when we went. However, we were able to watch through a window as they created and shaped their dough. I probably could have sat and watched them for hours. It is pretty amazing the things they create with sourdough. My kids were fascinated by the bread shaped like alligators, turtles and bears and I devoured the sourdough bowl filled with clam chowder. I’m working on recreating it.
I love Sourdough! It does require a learning curve though if you are used to baking with traditional yeast. Making bread in general can be a labor of love, but sourdough bread requires extra labor and extra love. Unlike yeast bread, sourdough bread will not rise in an hour. In fact, after an hour it might not look like it has risen at all. Not to worry though, with a little bit of patience and time it will rise and it will taste delicious!
The fun thing about Sourdough is that they all taste different. Some starters are more sour and some are more mild. So the taste of your bread will greatly depend on your starter. This recipe is a perfect traditional loaf bread. It will taste amazing whether you prefer your starter extra sour or extra mild. Either way, it will easily become your go to recipe.
The night before you begin making the dough, mix together 1/4 cup starter, 1/2 cup flour and 1/3 cup water. Cover the mixture loosely and let it sit overnight (6-12 hours).
In a large bowl attached to a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl if making by hand), mix together the starter, water, egg, oil and honey. Add the flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Let the dough knead for about 8 minutes. It should be elastic and tacky. Cover the dough and let it rise for about 5-6 hours.
Remove the dough from the bowl onto a lightly greased (cooking spray) surface. Divide the dough in half and form into a 9″x 11″ rectangle. Roll the dough, cinnamon roll style, keeping the 9″ length. Place in a greased loaf pan and cover. Let the dough rise until it domes above the edge of the pan. This can take 3-8+ hours depending on your starter and kitchen temperature. Be patient!
Once the dough has fully risen, you can refrigerate it overnight or bake it right away. If you choose to refrigerate the loaves, cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap or place in a large Ziploc bag before refrigerating. Let the dough sit at room temperature for at least an hour before baking.
Bake the loaves at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes. Cover the loaves with tinfoil and bake an additional 10-15 minutes to prevent over browning. The internal temperature should be 190 degrees F. Remove immediately from the pan and cool on a wire rack. Slice and enjoy!
Sourdough Loaf
Ingredients
Overnight Starter
- 1/4 cup sourdough starter
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/3 cup water
Dough
- overnight starter
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
- 1/4 cup oil
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 tsp salt
- 5-6 cups flour
Instructions
- The night before, mix together the 1/4 cup starter, 1/2 cup flour and 1/3 cup water to create the overnight starter. Cover loosely and let it sit overnight (6-12 hours).
- In the bowl attached to a stand mixer (or in a large mixing bowl if doing by hand), mix together the overnight starter, egg, water, oil, honey and salt. Add the flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is not sticking to the bottom of the bowl. Continue kneading for about 8 minutes. The dough should be elastic and tacky.
- Cover the dough and let it rise for 5-6 hours.
- Remove the dough onto a lightly greased surface and divide in half. Form each half into about a 9"x11" rectangle. Roll the dough up, cinnamon roll style, leaving the dough 9" long. Place the dough, seam side down, in a greased loaf pan.
- Cover and let the dough rise until it domes above the sides of the pan. This can take between 5-8 hours depending on your starter and room temperature so be patient.
- Once the dough is fully risen, you can bake right away or refrigerate overnight. If you choose to refrigerate, cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap or place in a large Ziploc bag. Allow the dough to rest at room temperature for at least an hour before baking.
- Bake at 375 degrees F for 15 minute. Cover the loaves with tinfoil and bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until the internal temperature is 190 degrees F.
- Remove the loaves immediately from the pans and allow to cool on a wire rack. Slice and enjoy!
