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iSourdough Bread			
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i I started baking bread when bread at the bakery became more and more			
i expensive and supermarket bread became more and more boring. At first,			
i things didnt go very well. My sourdough was a bit weak and I had to			
i experiment a little with different types of flour.			
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i The whole process takes up to 24 hours before you have your finished			
i bread in your hands. But this also makes it quite flexible and easy to			
i fit the baking process into your working day.			
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i The first step is quite simple. Since Im not a fan of long and			
i complicated recipe texts, Ill keep it as short as possible. I have had			
i good results with the following mixture:			
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i 1] The evening before baking, I mix about 400-500 g of rye flour			
i (Type 1050) with enough water and my homemade sourdough starter.			
i The result should be a soft, sticky mixture. I put the bowl into the			
i cold oven and leave it there overnight until the next morning.			
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i 2] In the morning, the mixture should have turned into a bubbly dough.			
i Take 50 g of the mixture and mix it in a glass with at least 50 g of			
i rye flour and some water. Close the glass and put it in the fridge for			
i the next bread.			
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i 3] Knead the dough together with 400-500 g of wheat flour and 12-16 g			
i of salt until it becomes smooth and not too sticky. Add water little by			
i little as needed. I use a stand mixer. After about 5-10 minutes, the			
i dough is ready.			
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i 4] I keep the dough a little sticky and put it into a loaf pan			
i (cast iron). You can also stretch and fold the dough (Ill explain this			
i in another post) to make a firm and smooth loaf.			
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i 5] Now the bread can rise for at least 2 hours or until you finish			
i work. Depending on how quickly it should rise, put it somewhere warm			
i or rather cool. At the end of the rising time, it should be about twice			
i as big as it was after kneading. If you let it rise in a pan, grease			
i the pan a little. If you let the dough rise on a baking tray, a little			
i oil on the surface of the dough doesnt hurt either. It prevents the			
i dough from drying out and helps it rise better.			
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i 6] Then bake it for about 40-50 minutes at 220C (425F), using			
i top and bottom heat. It is ready when no dough sticks to a wooden			
i skewer when you poke it. After it has cooled down, you can eat it.			
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i 7] The bread usually stays fresh for about 5 days in our stoneware			
i bread pot (Rmertopf).			
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i 8] If you like seeds in your bread, I recommend soaking them in water			
i the night before as well. This way, they don't take water away from 			
i the dough, the bread stays moister and rises better.			
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i I hope my instructions were easy to understand. Questions and			
i suggestions are welcome at mailto:robsim0990@sdf.org			
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