Stand mixer Sunday: 'Ciso sour dough loaf

I've never been to California; I've never tasted their famed sour dough bread. But I have succeeded in creating my own starter and branded this one.


This isn't a short process and I suggest starting the night before. Take your starter out of the fridge and allow it to warm to room temperature. Dump it into a plastic bowl, add one cup flour, one cup warm, purified water, a teaspoon sugar and just a pinch of packaged yeast. Whip the starter together using a wooden spoon or silicone whisk and make sure to get lots of air into the batter. Place in a warm corner overnight so that it starts to foam. Now you have a sponge.

Next, add the following to the work bowl of the mixer:


1 cup all-purpose flour
3 Tablespoons sugar
2 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon packaged yeast
1 and a 1/2 cups of the sponge (put the rest in a Tupperware container and put back in the fridge)

Using the flat attachment, mix together the ingredients until smooth. Next, place 1 cup of milk and 2 tablespoons butter in a bowl and heat together in the microwave until warm. Place that in the work bowl and beat again until smooth. Change to the hook attachment and add 3 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour one cup at a time until you have a ball of dough that attaches itself to the hook and pulls away from the bowl.

Take out of the work bowl and place onto a floured surface. Knead for three minutes. Put in an oiled bowl and turn to coat. Let it rise until doubled.

Turn out onto a floured surface and knead again for one minute to distribute the yeast. Divide into two and form into round loaves. The best way to do this is make a ball, turn any seams over and then move the ball between loose hands until the top of the loaf is tight, smooth and creating small blisters on the surface.

Place the two loaves on separate oiled baking sheets. Allow to rise again until doubled. Create an egg wash of one egg and two tablespoons of milk lightly beaten together. Brush on the top and then slash. Any shape will do, crosses, Ts or squares. I just like the K ....

Bake in a 375-degree for 30 minutes, then take off the baking sheets and bake another five to seven minutes to allow the whole thing to brown, including the bottom.

Looks as awesome as it tastes.