Bread.txt

Sourdough Bread, made in a Bread Machine

This is a recipe for making sourdough bread in a bread machine.  Sourdough avoids
the requirement for yeast, of course.  However, the recipe is tempermental, and 
requires a trial and error approach to get it to work.  The hard part is getting the
bread to rise enough before baking.  Then, you don't want it to rise so much that it
overflows out of the container and into the baking chamber of the bread maker.

1 cup sourdough starter
2/3 cup warm water
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 Tsp. salt
2 Tbs. sugar or honey
2 Tbs. dry powdered milk
2 1/2 cups white flour (or 2 cups white flour, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour)

Get the starter to be nice an frothy by leaving it out overnight with some
fresh flour and water.

Pour the warm water and starter in the container.  Add the flour, and mix it
slightly with the water/starter mixture.  On top of the flour put the powdered
milk, oil, juice, and salt.  The idea is to let the starter/flour mixture 
percolate a while so that the starter bacteria grow, but keeping the other
ingredients away from the action until the bread is ready to be mixed,
kneeded and baked.  Salt will arrest the bacteria growth, so keep the salt
on top, above the moisture below.

Set the bread maker to finish baking after about 12 hours.  This gives about
9 hours for the sourdough to grow and rise.  The bread maker will then mix
and kneed the ingredients together, and pause for the bread to rise before
finally baking it.