Indiana Jim, an old sea dog, has been a close friend for many years (my brother actually) and this is his take on a South Pacific variation.
“I first tasted Sourdough Bread in San Francisco back in ’72. On a visit there we were down at the dock side Markets. Can’t remember the name right now, but it sure was a sight and smell delight. Never forgot the taste of fresh baked Sourdough Bread, artisan loaf style, the characteristic pungent taste and the texture, hmmmm mmmmm.
My take on it is here for you to try.”
The most important part of this whole process is the starter. This is a source of failure for many people. The secret is you must not use any metal containers or mixing utensils. Glass is ideal. You might consider a sourdough starter kit.
Ingredients
2 cups of warm water
2 tea spoon dry active yeast
2 cups of flour
Method
In a large mouth glass jar or a crock, mix this all together with a wooden stick, and then stand without a cover in a warm place 80ºF (26ºC) for 2-3 days. Check each day during fermentation and mix it all up each time, even the crusty bit that forms on top.
The Loaf
Step 1 Get dough started
Ingredients
11/2 cups of warm water 80ºF (26ºC)
1 cup of your starter
4 cups of flour
2 tea spoons molasses
2 tea spoons salt
Method
Mix all these ingredients together in a bowl.
Let this stand uncovered overnight
Next morning mix in the crust that has formed and go to the next step
Step 2 Make the dough
Ingredients
1 cup of flour
2 eggs
2 tbsp melted butter (unsalted best)
Method
Mix all this together to form a dough that is nice and elastic.(Kitchen mixer with dough hook is ideal)
Turn out onto a floured board and knead in about another cup of flour till you have a nice bread like dough.
Form into the traditional artisan loaf and place on a piece of parchment paper
Cover and let rise in a warm place to about double the size.
Time to achieve this will vary, but usually at least 1 hour
Step 3 Prepare the oven
Heat to 400ºF (200ºC)
If you are using a flat oven stone, put it in the cold oven for the pre-heat time
Step 4 Get the fresh bread smells going
Sprinkle the stone with cornmeal
Place the risen loaf onto the stone without the parchment paper
Brush the top of the loaf with egg white to give it a richer brown crust
Put some fancy cuts in the top with a Bakers Blade or a sharp knife. 3 0r 4 is fine. A little vegetable oil spray on the knife will prevent the dough from sticking and dragging. (This not only looks good, but allows the dough to expand quickly during baking to reach maximum volume)
Bake for 35 – 40 minutes.
Steam: You can get a crisp crust by brushing or lightly spraying the loaf with water, Also, heat up an empty pan during preheat. When the loaf is in, pour some water in the heated pan and quickly close the oven. This is probably as close as you are going to get to commercial bakery ovens with steam jets inside. But it does work.
Done bread will sound hollow when you tap the underside of the loaf, and have a nicely formed crust. It should also smell fantastic. If you want to use a thermometer, put it right in the middle of the underside of the loaf. A reading of 190º – 210ºf (88º – 99ºc) indicates done bread.
Step 4 Slice and enjoy!!!
