- 1 – 1/2 cups warm water
- 1 TBS active dry yeast
- 1 cup sourdough starter
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour
- Water for tops of loaves
Warm a large bowl. Pour1 – 1/2 cups warm water into warmed bowl. Sprinkle yeast over water. Set aside to soften 5 minutes.
Stir in sourdough starter, sugar, and salt. Beat in 3 cups of flour until blended. Cover with a cloth and set in a warm place free of drafts. Let rise 1 – 1/2 to 2 hours or until doubled in size.
Lightly grease a large baking sheet; set aside.
Stir down dough. Stir in enough remaining flour to make a medium-stiff dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough 8 to 10 minutes our until smooth and elastic. Add more flour if necessary. Shape kneaded dough into two 10″ X 3 – 1/2″ loaves. Pull our ends to make them narrower than the center of the loaves. Or shape into 2 round loaves. Place on greased baking sheet. Cover with a cloth and set in a warm place free from drafts.
Let rise 1 to 2 hours or until almost doubled in size. Preheat oven to 400. Pour water 1 inch deep into a 12″ X 7 – 1/2″ baking pan. Place in bottom of preheating oven. Use a pastry brush to brush tops of loaves with water. Use a razor blade or very sharp knife to cut diagonal slashes across tops of loaves. Bake in preheated oven 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown and loaves sound hollow when tapped with your fingers.
If after 30 minutes of cooking the loaves are golden brown, cover with a tent of foil to prevent further browning.
Remove from baking sheet. Cool on a rack.