# Sourdough Recipe



## PermaAMP (Jun 13, 2013)

Does anyone have a recipe for real sourdough with a kick of flavor? I'm sick and tired of that weakly flavored stuff at the store. I used to be able to get the good stuff when I lived in California but now I can't find any worth a darn. Recipes using whey are fine I have access to plenty of it.


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## calliemoonbeam (Aug 7, 2007)

The best sourdough I've had outside of California is made at home from this starter: http://carlsfriends.net/ If you send them a SASE, they'll send you a free sample. 

It makes great old-fashioned, tangy, crusty sourdough. I've used it off and on for about 15 years now. It's just me, so when I find I'm not using it often enough I either dry it or freeze it, then pull it out and start it back up again when I'm ready. It hasn't let me down yet.


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## CJ (May 10, 2002)

The cultures from Sourdo.com are fantastic. Here's just what you need:
http://www.sourdo.com/cultures/original-san-francisco/


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## calliemoonbeam (Aug 7, 2007)

Thanks CJ! I may get some of that and see how it compares to what I've got. I've been away from California a long time, but still miss that authentic sourdough. Leave it to you to come up with the best, lol.


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## CJ (May 10, 2002)

PS... a good portion of the "sour" flavor depends on the temperature the dough is proofed at. The warmer the temp, the more sour flavor. 78 degrees will give you a nice sour taste


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## PermaAMP (Jun 13, 2013)

Thank you guys for the help. I'll be making some in a few months. California always had the best bread. Especially some of the shops in San Francisco.


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## marinemomtatt (Oct 8, 2006)

We make our own starter.
The real 'trick' is in the feeding of your starter... http://sourdough.com/forum/bethesdabakers-3-starter-maintenance
this has given us PERFECT flavor and PERFECT crumb every time!


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## sn4k3grl (Feb 25, 2014)

marinemomtatt said:


> We make our own starter.
> The real 'trick' is in the feeding of your starter... http://sourdough.com/forum/bethesdabakers-3-starter-maintenance
> this has given us PERFECT flavor and PERFECT crumb every time!


I love the instructions on this site! For me the bread recipe doesn't work well though, I think because I live in an alpine desert. Also, I prefer to keep my starter fed with rye and whole wheat rather than switching it over to white flour. I especially like the book, Classic Sourdough, by Ed Wood. It has a lot more information from someone who has actually worked with sourdough as opposed to just bread (like most books that include sourdough) and great ethnic recipes. 

The biggest thing I have learned when making sourdough is to plan ahead. It is not going to be a fast bread to make! I have heard of people starting the dough in the morning and being able to bake by night, but for me it usually take about 2 days (again dry air and being at 7,000 ft above sea level). It is definitely more of a science experiment than following any strict recipe, so I would recommend keeping a journal of the trials and errors.

I feel it is fairly easy to make your own starter; it just takes a little patience and perseverance. I use a large plastic Tupperware with a snap lid (I have kept it in glass jars before and will never do so again...see the post about explosive sourdough lol!!) Mix about 1 cup of flour, I do half rye and half whole wheat and about half a cup of water. Stir it and let it sit for a day. The next day discard half and feed it with enough flour and water to make up the discarded volume. At this point, do this either once or twice a day 9twice a day when it gets really active) for about 2 weeks. This ensures that all the nasty microbes competing in the starter are phased out. 

My bread recipe uses a starter that just came out of the refrigerator, so I let it acclimate by feeding it with out discarding any starter, This also ensures there is enough starter to use and keep some left over. While my starter is fed with rye and whole wheat, I use white flour for baking. 
Make a sponge with about 2 cups of starter, half a cup of sugar, 2 cups of white flour, 1 cup of milk, and enough water to dissolve the starter so it is a bit thinner than cake batter. Cover it with saran wrap and let it sit on the counter until it bubbles up to the saran wrap. Mix in however much flour you need to make it feel like bread dough, usually for me its about 4 cups, and kneed until it feels like bread dough. Divide into three loaves and place in greased loaf pans. Cover these in saran wrap and let the bread rise. Bake at 350 degrees F for about an hour and 15 mins or until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees. 

Best luck!!


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## Horseyrider (Aug 8, 2010)

Well, when it comes to sourdough, I've been ruined. A couple of weeks ago my daughter went to San Francisco on business. On her way out of town, she stopped and picked up a loaf of Boudin's sourdough for me. This sourdough, IMO, is the queen of sourdoughs. The mother has been in continuous use since the Gold Rush in 1849. 

I'd love to come up with a comparable starter; but I already checked if they sell any of theirs and the answer is a resounding NO. It's heaven when toasted; in fact, the first day I had it, I had some toast with breakfast. Then I had toast for lunch. Then for a snack I ate toast, and then I had toast for dinner. It's That. GOOD. 

Is anyone else familiar with this bread?


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## Raeven (Oct 11, 2011)

Horseyrider said:


> Well, when it comes to sourdough, I've been ruined. A couple of weeks ago my daughter went to San Francisco on business. On her way out of town, she stopped and picked up a loaf of Boudin's sourdough for me. This sourdough, IMO, is the queen of sourdoughs. The mother has been in continuous use since the Gold Rush in 1849.
> 
> I'd love to come up with a comparable starter; but I already checked if they sell any of theirs and the answer is a resounding NO. It's heaven when toasted; in fact, the first day I had it, I had some toast with breakfast. Then I had toast for lunch. Then for a snack I ate toast, and then I had toast for dinner. It's That. GOOD.
> 
> Is anyone else familiar with this bread?


Oh, yes, having lived in the Bay Area during formative years, I adore their sourdough bread. Boudin's is fantastic. I've spent many years trying to duplicate it and have a pretty good recipe. I'm also fortunate to fly through SF a couple times a year and always, always pick up as much of it as I can decently carry on to a flight. You're right: It's. That. GOOD.


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## Horseyrider (Aug 8, 2010)

Raeven said:


> Oh, yes, having lived in the Bay Area during formative years, I adore their sourdough bread. Boudin's is fantastic. I've spent many years trying to duplicate it and have a pretty good recipe. I'm also fortunate to fly through SF a couple times a year and always, always pick up as much of it as I can decently carry on to a flight. You're right: It's. That. GOOD.


 
Ohhh, Raeven! Any chance you'd share this recipe? I would be forever in your debt!


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## Raeven (Oct 11, 2011)

Horseyrider, of course!

You want your starter really cooking for this one, and patience is the key... it is very simple but time consuming. As noted earlier in this thread, let your starter get good and sour before you begin if you like that strong tang.

*Classic San Francisco Sourdough Bread*
2 cups warm water 
6-8 cups all purpose flour (this depends on altitude and how thick your sourdough starter is, I find I generally use 8 cups total) 
1 cup sourdough starter (unproofed) 
2 teaspoons salt 
2 teaspoons sugar 
1/2 cup water 
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch 

Directions
In a large bowl, combine the water, sourdough starter and *4 cups* of flour to make a sponge. Mix well, spray lightly with oil and cover with plastic wrap in a warm place 8-12 hours (I do it overnight). 

The next day, stir in the salt and sugar and add flour 1/2 to 1 cup at a time to make a stiffer dough. Knead till smooth. I run mine in my Kitchen Aid mixer just until I can see it is the correct consistency. Then I divide the dough into two pieces and let each piece knead in the machine for 4 minutes.

Cover and let rise 2 to 2-1/2 hours. 

Divide in half, but try to release as little of the rise as possible. 

Form into rounds, pinching the bottoms carefully. Place on a greased baking sheet. Cover lightly with cling film and let rise till double and puffy (1 to 1 1-2 hrs). 

While this is rising, mix the 1/2 cup water and 1/2 tsp cornstarch in a small bowl and microwave till boiling, remove from heat and let cool. 

Carefully place a small pan of hot water on the bottom rack of the oven. 
Heat oven to 450Â°F. 

Cut two or more slashes across each other on top of each loaf. 

Bake for 10 minutes. 

Pull out the rack and baste each loaf well with the cornstarch mixture. 

Close the oven and allow to bake another 20-25 minutes. Loaves should be a light golden color and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. 

You are supposed to allow this to cool for 2 hrs to develop the sourdough flavor fully â I wait maybe 30-45 minutes!

Hope you enjoy the results as much as I do!!

Strangely, bread flour ruins this recipe. Stick to all purpose.


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## Horseyrider (Aug 8, 2010)

Thank you so much, Raeven! 

Now I have two questions. Do you recall how you made your starter? There are lots of starter recipes, and I'd be willing to take a chance with one of them if you don't remember; but if you remember, that'd be great for me. 

Second, you say you divide your dough and put it back, one loaf at a time, in your KitchenAid. Which KitchenAid mixer do you have? I have a 6qt Professional; I'm thinking the whole wad would fit and, with 575 watts, have the power for eight cups of white flour. What's your experience here?

Again, thank you! My family will be thrilled with this!


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## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

I use the 1847 Oregon Trail starter from Carl's Friends (http://carlsfriends.net/). Have had mine for about 3 years and in spite of occasionally neglecting it, it's still going strong. I don't like a real tangy sourdough, but if you leave the starter out longer to "ripen" you can get it pretty tangy. I'm going to try Raeven's recipe the next time I make bread as I add a bit of yeast to mine to get it rising faster. I've not made bread with just the starter.


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## Horseyrider (Aug 8, 2010)

Oh my stars, Belfybat! That one sure looks fun! I love both mild and tangy sourdough, so I'll be sure to try it both ways. Thank you!


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## Becka03 (Mar 29, 2009)

Thanks for posting these recipes- I just started my own starter- and I am looking for more recipes- I know there are some out there- to use my starter with other than the bread- which I found fantastic- I would love to be able to make pancakes- pretzels and other things


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## Becka03 (Mar 29, 2009)

Posting so I can reply again and hopefully bump up- I wanna try the recipes posted- and hope that someone has something like a recipe for pretzels and pancakes using a sour dough starter!


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## Becka03 (Mar 29, 2009)

bump! I want more sour dough recipes!


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## blooba (Feb 9, 2010)

Sourdough Socks

^Enjoy


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## woodsy (Oct 13, 2008)

Becka03 said:


> bump! I want more sour dough recipes!


Honey Oatmeal Sourdough bread.

2 1/2 cups warm water
1/3 cup honey
2 cups old fashioned oats
2 1/2 tbl veg oil
bread flour or other unbleached flour
1/2 cup sourdough starter warmed sufficiently and bubbly.
2 tsp salt

Mix the warm water, honey, oil and starter.
Add oatmeal and 2 cups flour stir well.
continue adding flour till the mix balls up
cover and let rest 20 mins.

kneed , about 5 mins. is usually enough, mix in salt while kneeding.
Usually 6 hours or more for 1st rise depending on inside temps. Separate into two pans till doubled,
bake at 350 for 35 mins.


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## Becka03 (Mar 29, 2009)

My wireless was wonky last night- I see I have double posted all over the HT site!!!
Ackk!


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## cfuhrer (Jun 11, 2013)

Just went and pulled my starter out to warm up and activate so I can try some of these great recipes!


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## sn4k3grl (Feb 25, 2014)

This blog http://sourdoughsurprises.blogspot.com/ has some really awesome sourdough recipes!


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## PermaAMP (Jun 13, 2013)

I was just gifted some Amish sourdough starter. We'll see if it makes good bread in a week or so.


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## AlienChick (Feb 13, 2012)

I was born/raised in the Bay Area and just took it for granted and assumed that you could get good sourdough bread ANYWHERE. 

... Then I moved to Kentucky.

Needless to say, my son is coming to KY for a visit and asked me if I wanted him to bring anything. Betcha know what I said! SOURDOUGH BREAD! Just load up the suitcase! LOL


Anyway, I enjoyed reading all the posts here. Maybe one day.... if I find the time... I might venture into making some sourdough bread.


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