Sourdough bread

On the fourth day, I made sourdough bread.

1) In a mixing bowl, blend 3 cup all purpose flour and 1 tsp salt;

2) Form a fountain, add 1/2 cup warm water and well-mixed starter;

3) Knead dough to form an elastic ball;

4) Slightly grease a steel bowl, put dough in the bowl and cover air-tightly with plastic wrap;

5) Proof until double in bulk;

6) Pour dough onto working counter, press to remove carbon dioxide, knead for about 3 minutes to remove as much gas as possible;

7) Divide dough into eight portions, round each portion and place on a slightly greased baking pan (or line baking pan with parchment paper), cover with damp cloth;

8) Proof until double in bulk;

9) Preheat oven to 425F, cut large cross-hatch into the top of the dough (my cut is not large enough, instead the cut is too deep, the baked bread came out not as pretty as I expected), sprinkle lightly with all purpose flour, bake for 15 minutes;

10) Reduce power to 375F, bake for another 20 minutes or until the bread is golden-brown and sounds hollow when tapped.

This bread, tastes absolutely awesome, tough but crisp skin, tender inside.

I fall in love with this bread and have begun another new starter.

Sourdough starter: Day 2

2nd day, it seems that everything is fine, water layer is still clear, not pinky. The precipitation is very active, like volcano. Good.

Sourdough starter: Day 1

I eventually decided that I should try sourdough. To make this happen, first of all, I made starter. I don't wanna discard half of the starter and feed it as described in traditional recipes. So, I chose a short term (three to four days) way to prepare fresh sourdough starter.

I had one glass bottle (500 mL) fully washed and dried.

Heat 3/4 cup water to warm, and add 1 tsp active dry yeast. Let stand 15 minutes to activate. Whisk into 1/2 cup all purpose flour, and transfer the mixture to the clean bottle. Place a plastic cover on (don't screw, just cover to keep the mixture out of contamination).

Okay, that's it. Look at the pic, not bad, eh? Clear water layer, not pinky, that's a good sign.

Just wait and see what will happen tomorrow.