SOURDOUGH BOULE FROM ANY FLOUR

This one is from all purpose flour 

Here is a great sourdough bread recipe. For the starter you will need 1 pkg of dry yeast and 2 cups of some kind of glutinous flour. Starter made the traditional way from flour and water can be made from all purpose flour, but will lack the strength to raise the bread. But as you see great bread can be made from all purpose flour as long as you kick start the process with a little bit of yeast. Such sourdough starter will remain active for several bakings, but then  one day the bread will fail to rise. To develop a healthy starter the old fashioned way, best use whole grain or whole ground flour. But that is a whole different cattle of fish, one of which I won't go into here. My shortcut sourdough starter is based on 1 pkg or 2 and 1/4 teaspoon of dry yeast. It will make 3 cups of starter, enough to make 6 boule loaves from it. To keep the starter alive for future bakings, feed it daily.

When making the bread, let the dough rise by 75% during the first rising, the first rising can take up to 6-9 hours, and the second rising must not be longer than 30 to 40 minutes. Do not let your sourdough over rise, as this will affect the texture of the bread. This holds true for every type of bread. Follow the specific recipe and never let bread over rise.

SOURDOUGH BOULE FROM ANY FLOUR

The Starter:
1 pkg. dry yeast, any kind
2 cups warm water [not hot]
2 cups all purpose flour

• You can make the bread from different flours, but always feed the starter with the same flour. 

• Sprinkle yeast into a large, dry non metallic bowl.

• Add the water slowly.
• Stir with a non metallic utensil.
• Add the flour gradually, stirring constantly.
• Stir the mixture to breakup all the lumps.
• Cover the bowl with a clean towel and let it stand for 48 hours at room temperature.
• Stir it down occasionally.
• Use some of it on the third day.
• Replenish what you take out with equal amount of flour and water.

• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
• If you don’t feed the starter for two weeks, chuck it and start anew.
• This recipe makes 3 cups of starter.

This recipe makes two boule loaves. If you need only one, cut the ingredients by half.

The Boule:

1 cup starter

2-1/2 cups water

3 tsp salt

6-7 cups of flour

butter, margarine, lard or oil for greasing

If this is your second bake, your starter has been chilling in the fridge. Let it warm up on the counter overnight.

• Start in the morning, depending on the temperature and the humidity, sourdough baking can take anywhere from 6 to 9 hours.
• Place one cup of starter in a large bowl.
• Add the water to the starter and stir it lightly.
• Next add 4 cups of flour.

This is how: Dip your 1/2 cup scoop into the flour, scoop it up and sweep the top level with a knife.

• Add the salt only after half the flour is added.
• Stir it up really well.
• Gradually add the remaining flour.
• Resist the urge to add more water.
• Instead, let the mixture rest for 30 minutes. It will soften.
• After 30 minutes dump the entire contents of the bowl, scraping out the sides onto a clean surface.
• Begin to knead it together.
• When all the flour is incorporated and you have uniform dough, it is time to soften it to develop the gluten:

• By hand: Pick up the dough and whack it down on the counter 50 times.

Or

• With KitchenAid: divide the dough into 4 parts and beat with the dough hook for 5 minutes and then combine the parts by hand.

• Next grease a clean bowl and place the dough in it, turning it over once.
• Cover with a clean kitchen towel and set it to rise.
• Allow for 75 percent of rise. This means the dough should rise until not quite doubled in bulk. The time this can take depends entirely on the environment. In general sourdough baking requires considerably longer time than yeast baking.
• Your dough now has grown 75% of its original size.
• Take an old baking sheet or line a good one with parchment paper.
• Grease the surface lightly and scatter a handful of flour on top.
• Next place the dough on a clean surface and cut it into 2 parts.
• Pick up one piece and turn it smooth side down.
• Slightly flatten it by hand.
• Fold over the ends into the middle until you get a round shape.
• Turn over and guide the dough into a round shape.
• Once the dough ball is tightly shaped, place it seam-side down onto the prepared baking sheet.
• Repeat with the remaining dough.
• Scatter little flour on top of the loaves and smooth it out by hand.
• Or brush with melted butter.
• Set the timer for 35 minutes.
• Heat the oven to 400F.

Please note: the second rising combined with time needed to heat up the oven must not take longer than 40-42 minutes. Do not let your sourdough over rise, as this will affect the texture of your bread.

• Next give both loaves a few slashes with a sharp knife and place them in the preheated oven.
• Set the timer for 30 minutes.
• If the loaves need more time, bake for 5 to 10 minutes longer. The loaves should be golden brown and the bottoms sound hollow when thumped.
• Move the loaves to a cooling rack and cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
• Stoves don't all work the same, so write down the baking time for the next time. 

from part whole wheat bread flour part white bread flour