Sourdough French Bread

This recipe for Sourdough French Bread doesn’t take much hands on time. It just needs a little bit of planning to allow for sufficient rise time.

Sourdough French Bread

Ingredients

1 cup warm water

1 cup sourdough starter

2 teaspoons yeast (this can be left out but the rise times will increase)

1 ½ tablespoons sugar

1 ¾ salt

2 tablespoons oil or softened butter

4 cups flour (may need more to become a stiff dough)

Instructions

1. To the bowl of an electric mixer with the flat beater attachment, mix together the water, sourdough starter, yeast, sugar, salt, and softened butter.
2. Add flour, 1 cup at a time, until incorporated. This will be a stiff dough. Place in a greased bowl, turning so both sides are greased. Cover and let rise until doubled, about an hour. Knead down a few times.
3. On a greased surface, using greased hands, divide dough into two equal portions and roll into two long loaves (or shape into loaf pans or roll shapes). Place the long loaves on a greased baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. With a sharp knife, cut 4 to 5 shallow cuts down the loaf. Let rise about an hour until doubled. Alternatively, grease two loaf pans well (I use coconut oil).
4. Bake at 350˚ F for 25 to 30 minutes.
5. If using loaf pans, allow the loaves to cool a few minutes before removing from the pans. They should pop out easily.