how do i make sour dough bread?

Question

interested in knowing different types, and the how to, and the starters involved.

Answer 1

Great book on bread making called "The Bakers Apprentice". Good coverage on making sour dough bread. Basically sour dough is wild yeast. A true sour dough bread will use no packaged yeast (not even as a starter). A lot of cookbooks direct you however to use yeast in making a starter. Another aspect of sour dough bread is that the quality and flavor of the bread depends on where you live, and the wild yeasts that are native to that particular area. One of the reasons you cant quite replicate sour dough bread from San Fransisco, CA (it's fabulous out there if you have not tried it)

Answer 2

Amish Friendship Bread Starter

"Make something special to share with a friend! This delicious starter can make a variety of breads. Do not use metal containers or utensils."

INGREDIENTS

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
3 cups white sugar, divided
3 cups milk

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Let stand 10 minutes. In a 2 quart container glass, plastic or ceramic container, combine 1 cup flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix thoroughly or flour will lump when milk is added. Slowly stir in 1 cup milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Cover loosely and let stand until bubbly. Consider this day 1 of the 10 day cycle. Leave loosely covered at room temperature.
2. On days 2 thru 4; stir starter with a spoon. Day 5; stir in 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Days 6 thru 9; stir only.
3. Day 10; stir in 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Remove 1 cup to make your first bread, give 2 cups to friends along with this recipe, and your favorite Amish Bread recipe. Store the remaining 1 cup starter in a container in the refrigerator, or begin the 10 day process over again (beginning with step 2).

Note

Once you have made the starter, you will consider it Day One, and thus ignore step 1 in this recipe and proceed with step 2. You can also freeze this starter in 1 cup measures for later use. Frozen starter will take at least 3 hours at room temperature to thaw before using.

Answer 3

Just like any other bread, except you need to include "old" dough...the original bakery in San Francisco(?) is using dough that could technically be considered over 100 years old! :D

Answer 4

You can look up several recipes at www.cooks.com or allrecipes.com, those are two of my favs as they offer half a dozen or so variations on one recipe. Also try, typing in "Sour dough recipes"..and you should be able to find one you like.