sourdough bread 7

This bread followed the King Arthur Flour extra-tangy sourdough bread recipe. It's not all that much more work than what I've been doing, but it does require a lot more attention and wall time. I started early Saturday afternoon and it was coming out of the oven at about 16:00 Sunday.

The tang is theoretically enhanced because of the overnight refrigeration of the dough, which causes the production of more acetic acid in relation to the lactic acid. I'll have to do an experiment in which only half the dough is refrigerated. I did not find the bread to be much more sour than the others I've made. Perhaps my starter is just not all that sour.

This bread required kneading, which I'm beginning to enjoy. I baked it on a pizza stone, which seemed to work well.

The bread turned out great, despite my slight disappointment with the sourness. Matt and Katie were visiting. Katie proclaimed herself a bread connoisseur and expressed hearty approval. It's so light that it's difficult to slice! Despite the tenderness it does hold together well and would work for sandwiches. It's a fairly soft crust, although well browned and tasty.

Overall, a good recipe. I think next time I may dig out the Cook's Illustrated variation on the Sullivan Street Bakery no-knead bread and what I can do with using sourdough. As I recall it calls for a bit of kneading and perhaps some beer.