Sourdough Bread – Aunt Darla

By Loish

Ingredients

• 1 cup boiling water
• 3 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 2 1/2 tbsp bacon fat or butter
• 1 packet dry yeast – dissolved
• 1 2/3 cup sourdough starter
• 5 cups white flour – more or less
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• Corn meal

Preparation

Step 1

Blend shortening and sugar in hot water. Mix well. Cool to lukewarm. Add starter, yeast, salt and about 2 cups of flour. Stir until well blended. Slowly mix in the rest of the flour or just enough to make a fairly stiff dough. Place the dough on a lightly floured board and knead with a folding/rolling motion until dough is shiny and elastic. Add a bit more flour if dough it too sticky to work. Place the dough in a well-greased bowl. Cover and let rise until double in volume. Punch down and let rise for another 30 – 40 minutes. After the second rising, punch down once again. Let the dough rise about 10 minutes then shape into the classic, long, thin “French” loaf. Grease a baking sheet and sprinkle with corn meal. Place the loaf on the sheet and let rise a third time until nearly doubled. Preheat oven to 375º. When dough is ready slash the top diagonally a few times with a very sharp knife. Bake 45 – 50 minutes or until evenly brown. If you prefer a crispy crust, place shallow pan of water on the oven floor for the first 15 minutes of baking. Remove loaf to a ret and let cool before cutting.