Thanks, PJ, for the detailed and the one-page recipe instructions for sour dough bread. I was introduced to baking sour dough by a dear 80 year old friend whose recipe and technique follow the instructions of her grandmother. I have used it for years. One time. I tried a long recipe from a gourmet baker in San Francisco to: "let it rise, throw out 2/3 of it, add more flour and water, let it rise. repeat every day for a week. After all that, I found Lenora's recipe much better and not as wasteful. Here is her version:
Lenora Walters’ Sourdough Bread

Initial starter:
Combine and set in warm place for several days until bubbly, then refrigerate:
1/2 cup sugar
3 T. potato flakes
1 cup flour
1 cup warm water
Before making bread each time:
Take starter from refrigerator and stir in above
mixture. Take out 1 cup of starter for bread, return remaining starter to refrigerator. Will keep 3 to 7
days. If you do not make bread after seven days,
take out 1 cup of starter and discard, feed remaining
starter as above.

Basic Sourdough Bread (2 loaves)

Thoroughly blend in a large bowl:
1/4 cup sugar
1 T. salt
6 cups flour (or 2 cups whole wheat, 4 white)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup starter
1 1/2 cups warm water
Grease another large bowl and transfer batter
into it. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rise overnight.
Punch down and divide into 2 parts. Knead
each part on floured surface 5 to 7 minutes, until
smooth ball forms. Place in greased loaf pans. cover with plastic wrap and let rise 3 to 5 hours in draft
free location. Do not let loaf rise above top of pan.
Heat oven to 350º and bake on bottom rack
30-35 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on rack. Wrap loaves well to store.

• Reply