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Sourdough Bread

As a homesteader and homeschool mom of 3 growing children, fresh sourdough bread is something we like to have on hand. It’s a good filling breakfast and great to add to any meal. I like to make 2 loaves every week, but often I’ll make 4. I’m excited to tell you about my sourdough routine.
Course: Dinner, Side Dish
Keyword: bread, side, sourdough
Author: Bonnie Peters

Equipment

  • 1 bowl
  • 1 loose lid or tea towel
  • 2 loaf pans

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup sourdough starter, doubled and bubbly not fallen yet
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 1/3 cup flour
  • 2 tbsp. lard
  • 2 tbsp. cane sugar
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 1 1/2 cup milk or buttermilk if you just made homemade butter
  • 4 cup flour (start with 4 cups and add more as you knead until it feels like a soft dough, not sticky but not dry)

Instructions

  • I start the day before I want to bake. I make a preferment in the morning which is
    3/4 cup sourdough starter (doubled and bubbly not fallen yet), 1 cup water, 1 1/3 cup flour. Now I’m a rough measure person so I try to measure the water and the rest is eyeballed and by feel. 
  • Before bed, I make the dough. So to the preferment (which should look bubbly by now) I add lard, cane sugar, salt, milk (or buttermilk if you just made homemade butter), and flour (Start with 4 cups and add more as you knead until it feels like a soft dough, not sticky but not dry.).
  • Cover your bowl with a loose lid or wet tea towel and let sit overnight. 
  • The next morning, you’ll have a big beautiful dough. Punch it down and divide into two equal balls. 
  • Now to shape the dough, press out into a rectangle, stretching the ends and edges slightly. Roll up the dough and tuck in the ends. Pull the dough gently toward you to build tension and pop into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Do the same to the next ball.
  • I like to put my pans into a plastic bag and balloon it so they have room to rise without touching the bag. Let sit for 2-3 hours. By this time, the loaves should be doubled in size. 
  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  • Slash the top with a sharp knife and bake for 20 minutes. Then flip pans and bake for another 20 minutes. Your internal temp should be 190-200 degrees F when it is ready to come out of the oven. 
  • When it’s done, leave in the loaf pan for 10 minutes and brush the top with melted butter to create a nice, soft, buttery crust.
  •  Let it cool the rest of the way on a rack, slice, and enjoy!