Sourdough Bread Recipe

This is my mom's sourdough bread recipe that she makes (or used to make when I was a child).  I remember her having a starter for this recipe and feeding it several times a week.  I recall as a child seeing her put potato flakes in the starter.  I posted this morning on facebook that I was going to attempt to make bread in my bread maker today. 

A few minutes after my post, my mom's friend messaged me and said she would give me some starter for sourdough.  I picked up the starter this morning!

So now I am going to try my best to hold onto this starter and feed it.  My mom's friend said that she had the same starter (that my mom gave her) for close to 10 years!  You can either bake this bread in the oven or use a bread machine.  I will share the two different recipes below:


Sour Dough in Oven by Judi

6 cups bread flour
1 package yeast
1 T salt
1/2 cup sugar

Add: 1 cups of the starter (lukewarm)
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/2 cup oil

Stir with wododen spoon until all the ingrediants form a soft dough.  Turn on a floured surface and knead.  Let the dough rise for several hours until it has doubled in size.  Knead it again, slightly.

Divide the dough into three loaves.  Place them into well greased pans and let rise until doubled.  Bake at 325 for 35 minutes.

Sourdough for the Breadmaker by Maureen

4 cups of bread flour
2 packages of yeast
3/4 T salt
1/4 cup of sugar
2/3 cup of warm starter
1 cup warm water
1/3 cup of oil

Mix as directed with your bread maker.  With mine, place all the liquid ingredients on the bottom, then add the dry.  Make a hole in the flour and place the yeast.  Bake.

Here is a recipe for a starter for sourdough bread.  Remember, you have to feed this just like a pet.  It eats 2x per week!

Starter Recipe from Allrecipe.com

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

2 cups warm water

2 cups all-purpose flour

In large non-metallic bowl, mix together dry yeast, 2 cups warm water, and 2 cups all purpose flour and cover loosely.  

Leave in a warm place to ferment, 4 to 8 days. Depending on temperature and humidity of kitchen, times may vary. Place on cookie sheet in case of overflow. Check on occasionally.               

When mixture is bubbly and has a pleasant sour smell, it is ready to use. If mixture has a pink, orange, or any other strange color tinge to it, THROW IT OUT! and start over. Keep it in the refrigerator, covered until ready to bake.               

When you use starter to bake, always replace with equal amounts of a flour and water mixture with a pinch of sugar. So, if you remove 1 cup starter, replace with 1 cup water and 1 cup flour. Mix well and leave out on the counter until bubbly again, then refrigerate. If a clear to light brown liquid has accumulated on top, don't worry, this is an alcohol base liquid that occurs with fermentation. Just stir this back into the starter, the alcohol bakes off and that wonderful sourdough flavor remains! Sourdough starters improve with age, they used to be passed down generation to generation!               

This is the recipe I have to feed my starter:

3 T potato flakes

1/3 cup sugar

1 cup warm water

Shake the starter well and leave out on the counter for 8 hours.  Shake occasionally.  Leave the lid loose since it is a gas (you don't want your mason jar to explode!).

I hope you enjoy this sourdough bread as much as my family does!  It is delicious!