Place all ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order suggested by the
manufacturer. Select dough setting and press start. NOTE: If you think the dough is too
moist, add additional flour (a tablespoon at a time). The same is true if the dough is
looking dry and gnarly. Add warm water (a tablespoon at a time).
When dough cycle has
finished, remove dough from pan and turn out onto a lightly oiled surface (I use a nonstick cooking spray). Form dough into
an oval, cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes.
Shape dough either into a large baguette loaf or two small round and place on large
baking sheet dusted with cornmeal (I use the silpads instead of cornmeal). Cover with
plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to rise, approximately 20 to 30 minutes.
Oven Rising: Sometimes I use my oven for the rising. Turn the oven on for a minute or so, then turn it off again. This will warm the oven and make it a great environment for rising bread. If you can't comfortably press your hand against the inside of the oven door, the oven is too hot. Let it stand open to cool a bit. Sourdough rises more slowly than yeast bread; Always remember, the longer the rise time, the more sourdough flavor.
Cool or Refrigerator Rise: If I don't have the time
to wait for the rise to finish or I know that I will be interrupted before the
completed rise, I do a cool rise. A cool rise is when the dough is place in the
refrigerator and left to rise slowly over night approximately 8 to 12 hours. I
usually do this after the first rise and the dough has been shaped into a loaf.
As this is a longer rise time, it improves the sourdough flavor in your finished
bread.
Preheat oven to 375° F.
After rising, slash the bread with a bread razor or a very
sharp knife making three 1/2-inch deep diagonal slashes on loaf shape or a cross on
rounds. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. After 15 minutes, cover loaves with aluminum foil to
prevent over browning. (A good check is to use an instant
digital thermometer to test
your bread. The temperature should be between 200° and 210° F.)
This
is the type of thermometer that I use in my cooking.
I get many readers asking what cooking/meat thermometer that I prefer and use in my cooking
and baking. I, personally, use the
RT600C Thermometer
(show in the photo on the right). To learn more about this inexpensive excellent thermometer and to also purchase one (if you desire), just
click on the underlined: RT600C Thermometer.
