Extra-Tangy Sourdough Bread
This bread, with its mellow tang, is perfect for those who like their sourdough bread noticeably sour, but not mouth-puckeringly so. For extra-sour flavor, add 1/4 teaspoon sour salt (citric acid).
- 1 cup "fed" sourdough starter
- 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
- 5 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon to 5/8 teaspoon sour salt (citric acid), optional, for extra-sour bread
Directions
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1) Combine the starter, water, and 3 cups of the flour. Beat vigorously. |
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2) Cover, and let rest at room temperature for 4 hours. Refrigerate overnight, for about 12 hours. |
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5) Gently divide the dough in half. |
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6) Gently shape the dough into two oval loaves, and place them on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and let rise until very puffy, about 2 to 4 hours. Don't worry if the loaves spread more than they rise; they'll pick up once they hit the oven's heat. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 425°F. |
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7) Spray the loaves with lukewarm water. |
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Recipe summary
- Hands-on time:
- 15 mins. to 20 mins.
- Baking time:
- 30 mins.
- Total time:
- 23 hrs 45 mins. to 23 hrs 50 mins.
- Yield:
Overnight
- Recipe comments (37) »
Tips from our bakers
- For a less-sour loaf, read our recipe for Rustic Sourdough Bread.
- What makes the sour in sourdough bread? It's a combination of lactic and acetic acids, created as the dough rises and ferments. Refrigerating the dough encourages the production of more acetic than lactic acid; and acetic acid is much the tangier of the two. Thus, sourdough that's refrigerated before baking will have a more assertive sour flavor.
- Adding citric acid gives your bread an extra hit of "sour;" but don't be tempted to go beyond about 5/8 teaspoon in this recipe. A good rule of thumb for ultimate sourness, without too much deterioration of the crust and bread's structure, is 1/8 teaspoon sour salt for each cup of flour used.
Reviews
11/07/2009
What an incredible bread! I was leary of a bread that did not include at least a little yeast and was so wonderfully surprised. I immediately started the next batch, upon first taste. Thank you!
11/01/2009
Easy and straightforward. Very noticable sour flavor; I used citric acid, but I tasted the sponge and it is quite sour by itself. The crust is chewy and the interior is soft and has a rustic crumb. Quite possible the easiest bread I have ever baked, and definitely one of the best flavored/textured.
08/03/2009
Our absolute favourite bread thus far! I'd been searching for a yeast-free recipe to make with my new King Arthur starter and this turned out to be perfection: easy to throw together in the mixer, high rising, artisan bakery crust, and INCREDIBLE flavour! My husband values sourdough bread above all others and declared after the first batch that "we won't ever have to buy bread again." It does improve (as hard to believe as that may be) as your starter matures and evolves, and ours is quite tangy enough without the sour salt. Sandwiches and toast are beyond belief, and the end pieces produce bread crumbs and stuffing that surpass all known adjectives. Outstanding recipe!
07/26/2009
07/07/2009
I have been working with this recipe for months and mistakenly mixed in the sugar and salt with the 3 cups of flour for the overnight, refrigerated rise and it turned out the best yet!
06/21/2009
This is a very tasty bread, however I have attempted this 3 times now and each time I end up with a flat no rise lump. The third time I added the salt into the 2 cups of flour before adding to the starter thinking this would help with the rise. It did but when I shaped the loaves I still got a very flat bread there was no oven spring. I have the 2nd loaf in a bread pan, I just can't figure out what I am doing wrong.
Give us a call at the Baker's Hotline and we'll be happy to troubleshoot this recipe with you. Molly@KAF
06/09/2009
Great Recipe! Very Easy and worth the wait! Much like the traditional San Francisco Style sour dough breads.
I did have a couple of issues with this recipe and the results. I feel like that the crumb is too 'cake-like' for my taste, and will try it again with bread flour to see if I can get a better texture. Any suggestions?
I did have one question - I am not a big fan of the flat (not glossy) crust, and was wondering if anyone has tried it with either an egg wash or a milk wash before baking to obtain the more characteristic bakery look?
Has anyone ever tried this with olives as well? If so, what adjustments need to be made to the recipe to allow for the additional mass?
Give us a call on our baker's hot line, and we will try to pin point your problem 802-649-3717 Mary @ KAF
05/29/2009
Taste is fantastic and preparation is straightforward. I eat it with cream cheese with raw garlic!
My problem is that my buns didn't have the craters/holes inside the buns as pictured. I wonder how it is done since it gives presentation as boost.
Can someone please help me how to bake these buns with craters/holes inside the buns? Thank you!
Your dough is not slack enough if you do not have big holes. Call our baker's hot line for more help. Joan@bakershotline
05/05/2009
I just baked up two of the most delicious, crusty tangy french bread loaves I have ever baked! The recipe was very easy, just allow yourself the needed time to feed the starter and mix up the dough for overnight proofing. I actually liked the fact that I did'nt have to do everything in one day. My husband could not believe how well the loaves turnded out. Also, it is tangy, but not overpowering. Love it!
04/23/2009
I substituted 2/3 cup of King Arthur White Whole Wheat for 2/3 cup of the All Purpose flour and had great results with this recipe. The loaves looked lovely, had a really nice balanced sour taste and a beautiful crust and crumb.
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