California Sourdough Bread


I found this recipe in one of my favorite chef cookbooks. The recipe is made over a couple of days and calls for starter made from potato water. I had just made up a batch of potato starter-but with potatoes and the potato water, so, that was the first substitution I made. I also switched one cup of the required bread flour for a cup of Italian flour. The results were wonderful.

As you can see there is a golden crust around the entire bread but instead of a typical chewy sourdough crust this was a little more crispy. . .like German brotchen.

The recipe called for spritzing the dough with water before putting into the oven-which I did-but I also placed a small glass bowl with water in the oven-occasionally pouring water on the floor of the oven to create steam. My husband told me he loved me as he ate his hot-from-the-oven bread!

I wanted to share a photo of the inspiration behind all the sudden interest in bread baking.  My friend, Char Fontane gave this to me for Christmas the year before she passed away.  She and Roy Yeager, her husband, always liked my multigrain bread and Char thought I needed a cute French bread cart to adequately display my breads.  Char was always able to find exactly the perfect present and I treasure my bread basket. It will now be filled with home-baked goods for the guests of Casa Bella Bed and Breakfast.
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Comments

Teresa's New Life said…
Love the bread cart. I've never made bread, but have just in the past weeks, been purchasing ingredients to try it. I don't have a recioe though! LOL!!! Do you have one you'll share?
March 17, 2010 at 8:49 PM
Home At Last said…
of course I will share. This is a little more involved than some of the others. I will share the one from the show. It's so good and so easy. I use my bread machine to knead it, do you have one? They are a great hedge against yeast not proofing.
March 17, 2010 at 9:27 PM
Dina said…
I love your bread cart!
March 20, 2010 at 12:21 AM
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