Subject: RECIPE: Sourdough French Bread
From: bill@hppsd2 (Bill Turner)
Date: 31 Jan 86 05:13:20 GMT
Newsgroups: mod.recipes

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.RH MOD.RECIPES-SOURCE SOUR-FRENCH B "3 Jan 86" 1986
.RZ "SOURDOUGH FRENCH BREAD" "An old-fashioned sourdough French bread"
This is a hearty bread, possibly heavier than many people are used to.
The flavor is wonderfully tangy, and complements just about any meal.  Try
it with garlic butter!
.PP
This bread is slow raising.  I usually spend two days on it\(emstart the dough
one day, let it rise overnight, then form the loaf and bake the next day. 
This recipe is from \fIThe Complete Sourdough Cookbook\fR, by Don and Myrtle
Holm.
.IH "1 loaf"
.IG "1 cup" "sourdough starter"
.IG "\(12 cup" "milk" "125 ml"
(any type, but I prefer whole milk)
.IG "1 Tbsp" "sugar" "15 ml"
.IG "2 tsp" "salt" "10 ml"
.IG "2 Tbsp" "shortening" "30 g"
.IG "2\(12 cups" "flour" "250 g"
.PH
.SK 1
Combine milk, sugar, salt, and shortening in a pan.  Heat until shortening
melts, then cool to lukewarm (about
.TE 110 45 .
.SK 2
Stir milk into starter.  Add flour gradually, forming dough that pulls away 
from sides of the bowl.
.SK 3
Kneed until smooth (about 15 min.), adding flour as needed to keep the dough 
from sticking to the board.  When done, the dough will be fairly heavy, but 
smooth in texture.
.SK 4
Place in a well-greased bowl and raise in a warm place until doubled.
.SK 5
Form into a long loaf (about 
.AB "16 inches" "40 cm"
long).  Place on a greased baking sheet and
let rise again, until almost doubled.
.SK 6
Cut diagonal slits in top of loaf with a sharp knife, and bake in a 400 degree
oven until done, about 30\-35 min.
.SK 7
Remove from pan, and let cool in a draft-free location.
.NX
Be careful that the milk mixture has cooled before adding it to the starter.  
If it's too hot, you'll kill the starter and the bread won't rise.
.PP
Since the dough rises for a long time, I usually cover it with a damp towel
to keep it from drying out.
.PP
If you want a chewy crust, brush the top of the loaf with a mixture of corn
starch and water before baking.  Also, placing a pan of water in the oven 
while baking will make the crust a little softer.  I usually brush the loaf
with butter after baking.
.SH RATING
.I Difficulty:
moderate.
.I Time:
1 hour preparation, long rising time, \(12 hour baking.
.I Precision:
measure the ingredients.
.WR
Bill Turner
Hewlett-Packard Personal Software Division, Santa Clara, CA
hppsdc!bill