Sourdough Bread

Very dense, old-fashioned sourdough bread. Excellent fresh out of the oven slathered with butter!

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Yields: 3 loaves

Ingredients

• Basic Starter

• 3⁄4 cup sugar
• 3  tablespoons instant mashed potatoes (dry)
• 1  cup warm water

• Bread

• 1⁄3 cup sugar
• 1⁄2 cup  corn oil
• 1  cup  sourdough starter
• 1  tablespoon salt
• 1 1⁄2 cups water
• 6  cups bread flour (approximately)

Directions

1. Put initial starter in refrigerator 3-5 days (can store up to two weeks). Take out and feed another mixture of the starter recipe.
2. Leave starter out of refrigerator all day (8-12 hours) until bubbly at room temperature. Take out 1 cup and return rest to refrigerator where you leave it for 3-5 days and then feed again. If not making bread after feeding, throw away one cup or give away to a friend. Also, after 3 or 4 feedings, your starter accumulates so you can give some or throw away some. Try to keep basic starter down to less than 2 cups. Leave lid on jar of starter quite loose, especially when out of refrigerator being fed, (Put in clean container at each feeding.).
3. In large bowl, make a stiff batter of:
4. 1/3 cup sugar.
5. 1/2 cup corn oil.
6. 1 cup starter.
7. 1 Tbs. salt.
8. 1 1/2 cups water.
9. About 6 cups plain bread flour.
10. Grease large bowl with corn oil. Put dough in and turn over. Cover with foil and let stand overnight at room temperature (about 70 degrees).
11. Next morning, punch down and knead dough a little (8-10 times). Divide into 3 parts and knead each part on a floured board a few times (8-10 times). Put into 3 greased loaf pans and brush with oil. If dough is rising slowly it may take most of the day. Dough should double in bulk. Cover with waxed paper while rising (glass bread pans work best).
12. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Remove and brush with butter. Cool on rack. Wrap in foil. May be frozen.