SOUR-FRENCH(B)           USENET Cookbook           SOUR-FRENCH(B)

SOURDOUGH FRENCH BREAD

     SOUR-FRENCH - An old-fashioned sourdough French bread

     This is a hearty bread, possibly heavier than many people
     are used to.  The flavor is wonderfully tangy, and comple-
     ments just about any meal.  Try it with garlic butter!

     This bread is slow raising.  I usually spend two days on
     it-start the dough one day, let it rise overnight, then form
     the loaf and bake the next day. This recipe is from The Com-
     plete Sourdough Cookbook, by Don and Myrtle Holm.

INGREDIENTS (1 loaf)
     1 cup     sourdough starter
     1/2 cup   milk (any type, but I prefer whole milk)
     1 Tbsp    sugar
     2 tsp     salt
     2 Tbsp    shortening
     2 1/2 cups
               flour

PROCEDURE
          (1)  Combine milk, sugar, salt, and shortening in a
               pan.  Heat until shortening melts, then cool to
               lukewarm (about 110 deg. F.

          (2)  Stir milk into starter.  Add flour gradually,
               forming dough that pulls away from sides of the
               bowl.

          (3)  Kneed until smooth (about 15 min.), adding flour
               as needed to keep the dough from sticking to the
               board.  When done, the dough will be fairly heavy,
               but smooth in texture.

          (4)  Place in a well-greased bowl and raise in a warm
               place until doubled.

          (5)  Form into a long loaf (about 16 inches long).
               Place on a greased baking sheet and let rise
               again, until almost doubled.

          (6)  Cut diagonal slits in top of loaf with a sharp
               knife, and bake in a 400 degree oven until done,
               about 30-35 min.

          (7)  Remove from pan, and let cool in a draft-free
               location.

NOTES
     Be careful that the milk mixture has cooled before adding it
     to the starter. If it's too hot, you'll kill the starter and
     the bread won't rise.

     Since the dough rises for a long time, I usually cover it
     with a damp towel to keep it from drying out.

     If you want a chewy crust, brush the top of the loaf with a
     mixture of corn starch and water before baking.  Also, plac-
     ing a pan of water in the oven while baking will make the
     crust a little softer.  I usually brush the loaf with butter
     after baking.

RATING
     Difficulty: moderate.  Time: 1 hour preparation, long rising
     time, 1/2 hour baking.  Precision: measure the ingredients.

CONTRIBUTOR
     Bill Turner
     Hewlett-Packard Personal Software Division, Santa Clara, CA
     hppsdc!bill
     Path: decwrl!recipes
     From: roche@rochester (James Roche)
     Newsgroups: mod.recipes
     Subject: RECIPE: Sour cucumber pickles
     Message-ID: 
     Date: 14 Nov 86 02:14:50 GMT
     Sender: recipes@decwrl.DEC.COM
     Organization: University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA
     Lines: 48
     Approved: reid@decwrl.UUCP

                Copyright (C) 1986 USENET Community Trust
     Permission to copy without fee all or part of this material is granted
     provided that the copies are not made or distributed for direct commercial
     advantage, the USENET copyright notice and the title of the newsgroup and
     its date appear, and notice is given that copying is by permission of
     the USENET Community Trust or the original contributor.