Sourdough Loaf

For a lot of years, we drew virtually all of our bread recipes from Beard. Then Ann Abrams introduced us to Clayton, and Robin introduced us to Tassajara, and. . . .

Three quick notes on sourdough starter:

• Do not call it "San Francisco sourdough" unless you live in San Francisco. The precise taste of any sourdough is a function of the atmosphere in which the dough soured.
• Be prepared for it to look vile when the water separates from the flour.
• Unused starter can be stored in the fridge for later use after being "fed" with a mix of equal parts flour and water and given another day or so in a warm place.

1. Prepare the starter about 4-5 days in advance. In a medium bowl, mix the yeast, flour, salt, and sugar. Add the hot water, and stir thoroughly. Cover with plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm place. Plan on stirring the starter once a day.
   
   
2. On baking day, start with a large mixing bowl. Combine one cup of the flour, the sugar, salt, yeast, and dry milk. Add the hot water, shortening, and 1 1/2 cup of the starter. Add the additional flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Remove the dough from the bowl, and knead on a floured board for 8 minutes.
   
   
3. Place the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl, turning several times to coat the surface of the dough ball. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and set aside to double (roughly 1 hour).
   
   
4. Punch down the dough ball, knead it for 30 seconds. Divide into 2 pieces. Shape them into balls. Set aside to rest for 3 to 4 minutes. Lightly oil two large (9x5) loaf pans. Form the balls into loaves, place them in the pans, cover with damp paper towels, and allow them to rise above the top of the pans (about 50 minutes).
   
   
5. Preheat the oven to 400^o. Bake the bread for 30-40 minutes, until the crust is nicely browned and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Remove the loaves to a cooling rack.

2 large loaves   

Source: Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads