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     Title: Bluebeard's Sourdough Bread
Categories: Breads
  Servings: 1

 1          cake yeast
 3/4    c   water
 2      t   salt
 2      c   sourdough starter
 3      c   flour

Mix yeast, water, salt, sourdough starter in a mixing bowl.  Add flour, 1
cup
at-a-time and turn out onto a floured board.  Knead for about 10 minutes and
let
rise in a bowl covered by plastic wrap for 2 to 3 hours - until tripled in
volume.
Turn out onto a floured board and knead down again for about 2 to 5 minutes
and form into a ball.  Place on a baking sheet that you have sprinkled with
corn
meal, cover with a kitchen towel, and let rise for about an hour - until
doubled
in volume.

Make several slashes about 1/4 inch deep in the dough.  I try to create
some
interesting geometric patterns, but you can do what you like.  Preheat your
oven
to 450 degrees, brush or spray the loaf with water, spritz the inside of your
oven to create steam and insert your loaf.

Bake for 15 minutes @ 450 degrees then turn the oven down to 350 and bake
for
another 25 minutes.  To create steam in order to form a nice crust, I use a
small spray bottle filled with water and spray the inside of the oven about
every two minutes for the first 6 to 8 minutes.  This is not necessary, but I
like the crust that is formed using this process much better than if I just
allow the loaf to bake normally.

Another handy tip I've run across is the use of a thermometer to see if
the
bread is done.  At the end of the given baking time, I insert the thermometer
into the thickest part of the loaf and if it registers 190 degrees or better,
the loaf is done otherwise, I return it to the oven and bake it until the
internal temperature is at least 190 degrees.

  From: Bluebeard #103 @4903 6          Date: 08-14-59 
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