Loafing

Day 332: I decided to loaf today, and before you accuse me of being lazy, let me assure you that quite the opposite was true. I've gotten a bit spoiled with the Dutch-oven sourdough which takes all of five minutes to put together for the first rise and only requires stirring with a spoon to make the dough. Yes, you have to punch it down and shape it, but neither of those tasks takes more than a few minutes and very little expenditure of energy. No, I wanted to knead. There is something eminently gratifying about feeling bread dough become more elastic under your hands, and my cinnamon-swirl loaf requires a full ten minutes or even twelve before it has that magical texture. Plus, the recipe is for two loaves and takes almost eight cups of flour. That's a pretty hefty mass to manipulate on the bread board, and yes, it's good exercise for arm and back muscles. I definitely "kneaded" that!

As Goes The Loaf

Day 81: You have only one chance to get this right: "As goes the loaf, so goes the year." Although I was unable to document the saying, I believe it is of Scottish or British origin, and asserts that the first loaf of bread baked after New Year's Day predicts the course the year will follow. Will it be lumpy? Crusty and hard? Will it fail to rise entirely? I wasn't willing to take any chances, and fell back on my tried-and-true sourdough, changed up a bit with half a cup of whole-wheat flour to replace an equivalent measure of white, along with an appreciable handful of golden flaxseed to add character. I don't want 2021 to be plain or boring, and neither do I want it to be ponderously heavy or tasteless. The whole wheat offers a mild piquancy, gives it a hint of down-home, neighbourly goodness and the seeds provide small and tasty surprises. No one wants peppercorns and pea gravel in their breakfast toast, and that was certainly the fare offered up by 2020. I was pleased when the loaf emerged from the oven without cracks, rifts or fissures, perfectly golden-brown and raised to a perfect crown.

Sourdough Uprising

Day 216: No, it's not the Gold Rush, but there's a sourdough uprising! It's been a while since I made bread the old-fashioned way, kneading it by hand. The convenience of a bread machine has spoiled me, but recently, I got a hankering for genuine sourdough, the kind where the recipe says, "Do not use metal utensils or bowls." I was hampered by not having a sourdough start, so obtained one from a friend's daughter and promptly killed it, having forgotten all about the "no metal" rule. Resolving to do better next time, I set out on a starter hunt. Through the medium of the Eatonville Community Co-op, I got in touch with a confessed "sourdough enabler" who provided me with a start which had come to her through a man who had originally obtained it in...sit down...South Africa! Irene the Enabler had been using hers for about 15 years. That said, the sample she gave me was small, not enough for even a single loaf by my recipe. Over three or four days, I doubled it twice until I had the requisite cup and a half (with leftovers for replenishing). Today, I turned out the loaf, and oh, it smells divine! Plus, I'd forgotten how rewarding it is to feel the dough develop and mature under your hands in the kneading process. Sourdough is back!

A quick-and-cheaty sourdough bread can be made using commercial yeast, but the Real Thing uses only a starter for leavening. Fyrst, obtaine ye an starte, for no oother meanes will provyde a guid loaf ("fyrst catch ye an hare" to make "jugged hare").

To make the "sponge":
1 cup of starter, stirred (from refrigerated storage)
2/12 cups white flour
2 cups 85-90° water

Put the starter in a large bowl (4 quart), add the water and stir until smooth. Gradually add the flour and stir until all lumps disappear (about 5 minutes). Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and set in a warm place for 12-24 hours. Stir down any crust or liquid which has separated during this process. Return at least 1 cup of the "sponge" to the starter crock, and put it back in the refrigerator. You should have 3 cups of "sponge" left. Now you're ready to make bread!

To make sourdough white bread:
3 cups of "sponge"
6 1/2 cups of white flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 cup milk, warmed to 85-90°
2 Tbsp. butter
2 tsp. salt

Warm the milk, add salt and butter, and stir until butter is melted. Put 3 cups of "sponge" in a large bowl and stir in 1 cup of flour. Add sugar, stir; then add the milk. Stir thoroughly, and then begin mixing in flour 1/2 cup at a time. When the dough becomes too stiff to stir with a spoon, turn it out on a lightly floured board and begin kneading. You should knead for at least 10 minutes, adding more flour as required to keep the dough from sticking to the board. Be careful not to add too much flour! You want the dough to be smooth and elastic.

Place the dough in a greased bowl (4 quart) and turn the dough once so that it is lightly greased on all sides. This will prevent it forming a dry crust. Cover the bowl with a cloth and set it in a warm location. Allow it to rise for two hours. Punch it down (a five-second knead), and then allow it to raise for another half hour.

Next, punch it down again and form it into 2 oblong loaves or divide the dough and place it in two standard loaf pans. Cover the loaves with a cloth and allow them to raise for an additional 1 1/2 hours.

Bake at 375° for 40-45 minutes, or until the loaves make a "hollow" sound when tapped with a fingernail. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Brush the tops with butter to make a softer crust.

NB: Your starter will keep for years if you replenish it every couple of weeks. If you're not planning to bake bread for a while, just add a little sugar and stir it in. Starter should be replenished with new "sponge" at least once a month.