Italian Sourdough Bread

-SMALL 1 POUND LOAF-
1 ts Dry yeast
2 c Bread flour
1/2 ts Dried rosemary
1/2 ts Dried thyme
1/2 ts Dried oregano
1/2 ts Dried basil
1/4 ts Ground pepper
3/4 ts Salt
1/2 c Sourdough starter
2/3 c Water

LARGE 1-1/2 LB LOAF
1 1/2 ts Dry yeast
3 c Bread flour
3/4 ts Dried rosemary
3/4 ts Dried thyme
3/4 ts Dried oregano
3/4 ts Dried basil
1/2 ts Ground pepper
1 ts Salt
3/4 c Sourdough starter
3/4 c Water

Date: Tue, 12 Mar 1996 09:53:21 -0800

From: Judy.Mingram@west.sun.com (Judy Mingram – SunSoft)

From “The Best Low Fat No Sugar Bread Machine Cookbook Ever” by Madge
Rosenberg:

Sourdough Starter: Your sourdough starter becomes like a pet-you watch over
it and feed it. It takes at least a week to develop flour and water into a
starter. But once made, and continually fed, it will keep for years. To
make a sourdough starter: In a large glass or plastic container, mix 1 cup
of flour with 1 cup of water and a pinch of dry yeast. Stir until creamy,
loosely cover, and leave at room temperature (not above 80 degrees) for a
week. After the first week, refrigerate the sourdough starter. The solids
will separate from the liquid, so stir before using and bring the starter
up to the right temperature for the bread machine by making the water in
the bread recipe just warmer than body temperature and mixing the two
together before using. At least once a week, use your starter or discard
1/2 cup of it and replenish with equal amounts of flour and water stirred
together until they are smooth and creamy. This keeps the starter fresh and
active. Sourdough starter is a living culture that bubbles and smells
strange. Different strains of yeast in the air work on the sour. Sours made
from the same ingredients vary from place to place because of the ambient
conditions. No one has made San Francisco sourdough in the Midwest yet,
although commercial bakers have tried.

(Mine definitely smelled sour after a week, don’t get your nose too close
to the jar when you smell it!)

This is the recipe I tried and it came out great. The dough looks very wet
when the bread machine was processing, however, I resisted the impulse to
add more flour and it came out fine.

This bread is as crusty outside as it is soft and light inside. The herbs
give it enough flavor to serve on its own with bouillon of a glass of wine.
Or make it into a tomato sandwich.

Add all ingredients in the order suggested by your bread machine manual and
process on the basic bread cycle according to the manufacturer’s
directions.

NOTE: After measuring out what sourdough starter is needed for this recipe,
be sure to replenish your sourdough starter with equal amounts of flour and
water.

FATFREE DIGEST V96 #72