Country-Style Sourdough Bread

Very good. I fed the proto-dough for about a week and a half on the counter and then refrigerated it for a week. The bread had a nice texture and flavor but is not quite as tangy as I would have liked. I am hopeful that if I continue to feed the starter, future loaves will have a more developed flavor.

• kimlish

• VA

• 8/19/2014

This is the first time I've made bread, so this recipe was a little confusing to me. It didn't taste very strongly of sourdough, but the tanginess was there. (I only fed the proto dough every day for a week on my counter before making the bread.) The bread was like a very crusty French bread more than anything. I let it rise for three hours because I had to run to work in the middle of making it but only let it rise thirty minutes after I shaped it so I'm not sure how that affected the final product, but I was pleased with the outcome.

• catterfly

• Texas

• 2/18/2012

As the "proto dough" recipe states, the proto dough can be kept in the fridge for UP TO THREE WEEKS without feeding. Keeping the proto dough on the counter (at room temp) will help the sour flavor develop faster but you will need to feed it at least 1 cup each water/flour weekly and stir daily. Storage options can be switched every time you feed the starter.

• Anonymous

• North Carolina

• 1/4/2011

Very easy to make and excellant bread. Even the kids liked it an could not believe it was not store bought.

• geonc

• 10/3/2009

I tried this recipe and concur, the bread is delicious, very crusty and tasty. I had no problem with is rising, but as we're experiencing record lows here, my house is chilly and I let it take it's sweet time. My starter was just 48 hours old, and I like others have noted, it wasn't very sour yet. Hopefully eventually. Hint: I froze my extra buttermilk in plastic cups in .5 cup cubes for later recipes.

• swooledge

• Brooklyn, NY

• 1/17/2006

I make this bread at least once a week. Lately, I've been substituting 1 Cup to 1 1/3 Cup of wheat flour for white.

• Anonymous

• Austin, TX

• 10/31/2005

I made this bread the other day and it just disappeared it was so good. Not having buttermilk in the house, I substituted another 1/4 cup of "proto-dough" and it worked just fine. Also, I cooked mine on a baking stone and it worked great. I'm going to keep feeding my "Beast".

• Anonymous

• Austin, TX

• 8/10/2005

I have made the proto-dough on 2 occasions because I went out of town and it wasn't fed the first time. I think that this is a good way to get started with the method of sourdough starters and baking but as the article attached to this recipe said this makes a sourdough tasting bread after the starter has had time to develop. I use the proto-dough for other bread recipes and it adds a subtle characteristic to the finished breads. I have also found that this bread recipe was best used for 1 loaf in a 9 inch loaf pan rather than 2 free form loaves and made great sandwich bread

• Anonymous

• Atlanta, Ga

• 6/18/2005

The bread is delicious and keeps getting better all the time. Time is an issue as the process takes longer than actually indicated, but worth the wait.

• G.Filbin

• Bloomfield Hills, MI

• 5/1/2005

We keep a container of the starter (proto-dough) on hand at all times and whip up the sour dough bread frequently. This is the only sour dough starter that has ever worked for us.

• salligator

• Sparr, FL

• 1/16/2005

This recipe is driving me crazy! The first try I used regular yeast and thought that was why it didn't turn out. I tried again with rapid-rise and again got the same cracker bread that another reviewer described. The dough takes far longer to rise than the recipe indicates and I had to add a lot more flour to make the dough manageable. The flavor is only OK, but might improve if I coddle the biga for a few years. Be careful pouring in the water during baking, I cracked my oven door window when I spilled a few drops.

• lisamargaret

• Santa Barbara, CA

• 11/4/2004

My proto-dough is now 5 weeks old, and other reviewers are correct it does not have the distinctive sour flavor as yet. The crust and bread texture are fabulous, but it does not rise as well as I expected. So I now add an extra teaspoon of dry yeast each time I start a new batch of bread. I am content to wait for the sour flavor to develop. I love the entire idea of my proto-dough, a living breathing substance. My friends all raved about the bread. Thanks Alton!

• CMiller

• Ennis, TX

• 11/4/2004

I am curious to know how long the earlier cooks allowed their bread to rise. With a sourdough a longer rise time is not only common, but to some degree, desired, as the secondary bacterial fermentation is what will impart more of the "rustic" flavors. Time should never be the determinant of when a bread has risen adequately for baking, but rather, texture. An earlier reviewer referenced "The Baker's Apprentice" which I now use as one of my bread 'bibles' (along with The Village Baker). Both of these books rely heavily on a pre-dough (biga or poolish) to maximize flavors and is considerably easier. I've found that maintaining a viable and active "sour" is a true commitment. Keep on baking!

• A baker

• Sheboygan, WI

• 11/3/2004

I haven't made this bread, but I have been making sourdough bread since this summer. Here's what I've learned: if you use a starter (or "proto-dough" as it's called here) with commercial yeast, it will take a long time for a sour taste to develop, because wild yeasts and bacteria are what create the sourdough taste--in fact, commercial yeast doesn't create a habitable environment for the bacteria (lactobacillus) you need for sourness. If wild yeasts take root in your starter, you'll get better taste. That said, breads made with the "biga" described here do taste better than other commerical yeast breads, I think. But if you want real sourdough, I would check out Nancy Silverton's _Breads from the La Brea Bakery_ and Peter Reinhart's _The Breadbaker's Apprentice_. They are both great.

• cawooley

• Seattle, WA

• 11/3/2004

My proto-dough is about 5 weeks old now. I, too, have not yet achieved the sourdough taste, but the bread and especially the crust is delicious. my biggest problem/complaint is the rising. It's not like this is the first time I've worked with yeast, but it just does not rise very well. I've let the proto-dough come to room temp before using, make sure the room is warm enough, etc. I'm wondering if there is not enough yeast... I will definitely keep trying, and I enjoy the science behind the recipe. To leave this on a humourous note, my husband thanked me for the "sourdough crackers" that accompanied his dinner! Does that give a clue as to my "rising" problem?!!!!

• beezerl

• Long Island, NY

• 11/1/2004