Grandma's Sourdough Bread

This is a recipe from an old cookbook. I only have a few pages left so I can't say what the cookbook was called or where it came from. I found the pages glued to cardstock in the pages of a binder which belonged to my grandmother. I made this bread for the first time a year ago. It makes a wonderful loaf of bread, tastes like REAL sourdough to me. It has beer in it (the brand with rocky mountain water in it) and it takes a nice flavor from the beer. I hope everyone likes it as much as I do ! I have also posted the starter recipe. ENJOY!!!!!!

• Ready In: 3 hrs 30 mins
• Serves: 8-10
• Yields: 2 loaves

Ingredients

• 1 (1/4ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 (12 ounce) can beer, warmed to 110 degrees
• 5 -5 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1  cup  sourdough starter, at room temperature Grandmas Starter recipe posted
• 3  tablespoons sugar
• 2  tablespoons butter, softened
• 2  teaspoons salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄8 cup yellow cornmeal

Directions

1. Soften yeast in warm beer. Blend in 2 cups of the flour, Grandma's starter, sugar, butter and salt. Combine 1 cup of the flour and the baking soda; stir into flour-yeast mixture.
2. Stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can with a wooden spoon. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (5 to 8 minutes total).
3. Place in greased non metallic bowl; turn once. Cover; let rise till double in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Punch down; divide dough in half. Cover; let rest 10 minutes.
4. Shape into two oblong or round loaves.
5. Place on greased baking sheet which has been sprinkled with yellow corn meal. Cover; let rise till almost double in size, about 1 hour. brush with a little water. Make diagonal slashes across tops of the loaves.
6. Twenty minutes before rising is complete pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
7. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.