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Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 loaves 319g Recipe makes 2 loaves) The following items or measurements are not included below: sourdough starter
Calories 937
Calories from Fat 24		(2%)
Amount Per Serving		%DV
	Total Fat 2.7g	4%
	Saturated Fat 0.4g	2%
	Monounsaturated Fat 0.3g
	Polyunsaturated Fat 1.1g
	Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 0mg		0%
Sodium 1171mg		48%
Potassium 289mg		8%
Total Carbohydrate 196.5g		65%
	Dietary Fiber 7.3g	29%
	Sugars 0.7g
Protein 26.4g		52%
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San Francisco Food

~Laury~

Sourdough French Bread

Recipe #33085 | ½ day | ½ day prep | add private note

⁽²⁷⁾ RATE IT NOW Print Recipe

By: Donna M.
Jul 3, 2002

You can produce an authentic French loaf in your own kitchen. This really works! Adapted for the bread machine from a recipe found in "World Sourdoughs From Antiquity", by Ed Wood. Prep time includes proofing time for sourdough starter.

2 loaves (change servings and units)

Ingredients

2 cups proofed sourdough starter (see Step 15)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
4 cups white bread flour
2 tablespoons white cornmeal

Directions

1
Put ingredients, in order listed, into bread machine pan.
2
Set machine for dough cycle and start.
3
At end of dough cycle, turn dough out onto a floured surface.
4
If dough is too sticky, knead in a little additional flour.
5
Divide dough into 2 equal portions and flatten each into a 1 1/2 inch thick oval.
6
Fold oval in half once lengthwise and pinch seam to make an elongate loaf.
7
Sprinkle cornmeal on a baking sheet and place the loaves on the sheet seam side down.
8
Cover and let rise in a warm place (85 degrees F) until about doubled in bulk.
9
Place a shallow pan of hot water on the lower shelf of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
10
Make shallow slashes in tops of loaves with a razor blade or finely serrated knife, held at a 30 degree angle.
11
Place the loaves in the oven and immediately spray them and the oven walls with water from a fine mister, and avoid spraying oven light.
12
Repeat this spraying 3 additional times at one minute intervals.
13
Continue baking for 30 to 40 minutes or until brown, but remove pan of water from oven after the first 15 minutes.
14
Remove loaves from baking sheet and cool on wire racks.
15
*To proof sourdough culture, start with 1/2 cup of culture and stir into it 1 1/2 cups warm water and 1 1/2 cups flour.
16
Cover with plastic and let sit 8 to 12 hours (the longer it sits, the more 'sour' your bread will taste).
17
At this point, measure out the 2 cups required and proceed with recipe; returning any extra to the starter pot to save in the refrigerator until you want to use it again.

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Featured Reviews for This Recipe

From: Iceland

On Sep 4, 2009

I made this with the part of the starter i otherwised wuld had thrown away on day 4 of making my sourdough starter. I made it in my bread machine and it did raise beatifully, i even used whole wheat flour. I only wanted to give 4 out of 5 as i had to keep on baking the bread after the machine had finished, well, it is not the fault of the recipe but i wanted to state it anyways. I will use a program which bakes the bread longer next, so that is what i wanted to tell. Thank you fr sharing a great recipe!

0 people found this review helpful

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From: Katzen

On Jun 21, 2009

Wow, Donna, is this ever a gorgeous loaf!!! It's so easy to make, and it comes out so absolutely stunning. I wish I had time to take a picture, but we're off to Dad's (with the loaf of fresh bread!) for Father's Day. I'm sure this will be a huge hit - and I will definately make this regularly.

1 person found this review helpful

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From: Normaone

On Mar 24, 2003

Donna, this is a wonderful recipe. Thank you for sharing it. I made mine into two long loaves in a french bread form. Although i sprayed them with water when they went into the oven, I find that a pan of ice cubes works nicely. Plus, you don't have to mess with it once the bread is in the oven. Thanks again.

11 people found this review helpful

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From: BeachGirl

On May 3, 2003

Nice, light loaf with good texture and flavor. I had one cup of sourdough starter in my freezer, so I thawed and proofed it as directed in step 15. Then I followed the mixing and kneading directions. I put all the dough in one large loaf pan. After making slit in top of loaf, I spritzed the top of loaf with water. I put sauce pan of water and the loaf of dough in a COLD oven and turned temp. to 375 degrees and baked the required time - about 40 minutes. The bread turned out very light and high, as it rose even more while the oven was heating. I will be making this bread weekly for sandwiches. Thanks Donna for a very good recipe!

7 people found this review helpful

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