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You are here: Home / Food / Not-So-Sourdough Bread

by Stacy  37 Comments

Not-So-Sourdough Bread

I just love it when Brandy shows up for a post…don’t y’all? 🙂 She’s sharing a bread recipe today – and I know y’all love bread as much as I do! Thanks Brandy!

This recipe came from The Southern Appalachian Heritage book and is one of several I have tried from its pages.  It’s not really a sourdough in the truest sense (since it’s not self-perpetuating, as far as I can tell), but it does use a pre-ferment or sponge.  This bread has excellent shelf-life, especially if kept in cool conditions. 

Sponge

The original recipe was somewhat vague, so I’ve adapted it.  Another note is that the more bread you bake, the taller your bread will be.  I read it in the Foxfire Cookbook and might not have believed it if I hadn’t experienced it myself.  Something about your home having more yeasty goodness the more you bake bread.  Sometimes, my bread has gotten so tall I’ve worried it would reach the top of the oven.  Magic, I tell you!

Proofing Chamber

Not-So-Sourdough Bread

For the starter:

  • 2 cups warm water (no more than 120° F)
  • 2 cups plain flour
  • 1 tablespoon yeast (or two packets of yeast, not instant)

Mix well & leave until bubbly and alive!  This may take several hours in the Winter or just one in the Summer.  You may reserve a cup of this mixture for later, but it will lose its zing over time, so I start new each time.

For the dough, add these ingredients to the starter:

  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 beaten eggs
  • 1 stick of softened or melted butter
  • Enough flour to make a soft dough
  1. Knead all of this for ten minutes, taking care to be sure the dough is neither too sticky nor too dry.
  2. Let rise in a greased bowl until doubled, an hour or so depending on the warmth of your home.  I use my back porch as a proofing area, since it is quite warm in the Summer.
  3. Knead another ten minutes and shape into two loaves.  Do this by flattening the dough into a sort of rectangle and then rolling it up into a loaf.  Tuck the ends under and pinch the seams so they do not come undone during the baking.
  4. Let rise in greased pans until the dough is an inch or so above the top of the pans.
  5. Heat oven to 375° F and then bake for 35 minutes, or until the bread is 190° F internally.  Cool ten minutes and enjoy!

Brandy

Brandy spends her days watching the skies and tending her children on her little homestead in town at the foothills of the Appalachian mountains.

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About Stacy

Stacy is a Homemaking and Business Mom Mentor, the author of two cookbooks, creator of multiple e-courses, seasoned life coach, and comedian extraordinaire. Her first priority is her husband and her children - family first. She presses on each day because her calling is to teach, train, and mentor other ladies to have their dreams. She believes if it’s not easy, you won’t do it – because she’s lived it. She’ll bring YOU the awesome so that you can get your home back into control and watch your business soar. For tips and easy strategies, you can follow her on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the content above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase an item, I may receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Comment Policy: I love reading your thoughts and input on what you read here. I'm sure we'll disagree sometimes and that's okay! In those cases, do what's right for you and yours. As with any form of communication, only post comments that move the discussion in a positive direction.

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Comments

  1. Tina says

    July 12, 2013 at 12:14 am

    I followed your page from THM, does this fit into the THM meal plans?? Just asking as I know Gwen has a recipe for bread too.

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      July 12, 2013 at 8:15 am

      No, this isnt THM. If one of my recipes is, it says THM Compliant at the bottom of the recipe print box and it’s listed in the THM index. 🙂
      http://www.stacymakescents.com/trim-healthy
      We’ve only been on THM since January and I’ve been blogging for 3+ years, so most of my recipes aren’t THM. 🙂

      Reply
  2. Stacy says

    July 9, 2013 at 6:54 am

    No…I make my own starter. I do have friends who like the starters from Cultures for Health. 🙂

    Reply
  3. Rachael Fowler says

    July 8, 2013 at 1:40 pm

    Such a helpful blog!

    I am new to baking and was wondering if any of you have ever used any starters from Sourdough’s International.. I have a friend who loves it but I’m looking for some more opinions.

    Reply
  4. Faith says

    November 27, 2012 at 6:35 pm

    I was directed to your blog from Simply Homemaking..when I went and saw how lovely her bread was I knew I had to give it a try. It came out wonderful
    and delicious. I’ll be posting about it on Wednesday, and I wanted you to know that I’m mentioning your place and also Simply Homemaking…Thank you for sharing your recipe..You’ll see the two breads in comparison on the blog tomarrow.. WOW….. I hope you’ll stop by and give a look see..:)

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      November 28, 2012 at 7:55 am

      This is my friend, Brandy’s recipe….I need to try it!

      Reply
    • Cassandra Hart says

      December 19, 2012 at 12:04 pm

      And now, thanks to Faith, this is todays Whistlin’ Wednesday post on Be Wit’n Wise.

      Feel free to check it out: http://bewitnwise.blogspot.com/2012/12/ww-not-so-sourdough-bread-recipe.html

      Thanks for posting this recipe, I know we’re going to have to try it out soon!

      Reply
      • Stacy says

        December 19, 2012 at 1:04 pm

        And I just so happen to be mixing up a batch right now. 🙂

        Reply
  5. Shaynee says

    August 20, 2012 at 9:47 am

    Approximately how much flour would I need to use to make a soft dough? I am new to making bread.

    Reply
    • Brandy says

      August 20, 2012 at 6:01 pm

      Hi! Add about two cups to the sponge with the other ingredients and stir it well, then add another half a cup at time until it makes a stiff dough (difficult to stir). Knead from there on out, adding tiny bits of flour as needed to avoid it sticking to the counter too much. Scrape any bits of stuck-on dough off the counter with a spatula to avoid all that clumping up on your dish cloth. Best wishes!

      Reply
  6. Maria says

    August 16, 2012 at 9:14 am

    Thanks for sharing this recipe!

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      August 16, 2012 at 10:26 am

      You’re welcome!

      Reply
  7. Teresa says

    August 15, 2012 at 8:34 pm

    Just another note about the bread I made today. I made it 100% freshly ground whole hard white wheat. I’m baking again tomorrow. I gave away all of the rolls I made today that we didn’t consume at lunch or supper for a fellowship lunch at church on Sunday. : ) The rolls made a great sandwich for supper. I will probably start using these for hamburgers. Much better than what I have been using. Lighter in texture and it wouldn’t be hard to put a hamburger and all the fixings on and still be able to chew what was in your bite. : ) Thanks again.

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      August 16, 2012 at 6:14 am

      I just ground wheat yesterday too. 🙂 I need to make a batch of my hamburger buns to freeze – thanks for the reminder!!

      Reply
  8. Krista says

    August 15, 2012 at 2:11 pm

    cant wait for it to cool down here so i can turn my oven back on, been 110 for almost a solid week now and while i may be a tad crazy im not crazy enough to turn on the oven in that kinds of heat:(

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      August 15, 2012 at 2:54 pm

      It’s been cooling off here, but I’m waiting for the same thing! Hope to bake next week. 🙂

      Reply
  9. Teresa says

    August 15, 2012 at 11:41 am

    Made this this morning…made one loaf and 16 rolls. Everyone enjoyed the rolls (we ate these with the stew for lunch). I haven’t cut into the loaf, but it was over 192 degrees when I took it out (35 minutes). It looks wonderful and crusty. I only baked the rolls for 13 – 15 minutes. They didn’t stay crusty, but were wonderful. Nothing was crumbly at all. I used all of the “sponge” in the bread….couldn’t bear the thought of throwing it away or not knowing what to do with it. : ) Thanks.

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      August 15, 2012 at 12:35 pm

      Teresa, you made me hungry. Thanks a lot. :-p

      Reply
  10. Shaylah says

    August 13, 2012 at 7:34 pm

    Can I make this in a bread machine?

    Reply
    • Brandy says

      August 13, 2012 at 8:34 pm

      Hi, Shayla! I’ve never used a bread machine, but I would say no since it makes two loves. I can’t even use my big mixer to knead it, simply too much dough. Sorry about that. 🙂

      Reply
  11. Yolanda says

    August 13, 2012 at 6:01 pm

    Just reporting in…

    http://www.simplyhomemaking60.blogspot.com/2012/08/sometimes-i-make-white-bread.html

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      August 13, 2012 at 8:25 pm

      Yolanda, you rock.

      Reply
      • Yolanda says

        August 13, 2012 at 8:40 pm

        *blush* awww…

        Reply
    • Brandy says

      August 14, 2012 at 6:17 am

      Glad to hear back from you. Sometimes, I add more salt, too. Maybe we can get Stacy to change it to two teaspoons. . . 😉

      Reply
      • Stacy says

        August 14, 2012 at 6:48 am

        Sure thing!

        Reply
  12. Dani says

    August 13, 2012 at 4:13 pm

    Ah, nice, a recipe with eggs! I use only home-ground whole wheat flour, and so my bread has been a little crumbly. Hubby LOVES the bread, but we all hate the crumble, and we were discussing that I should probably look for a recipe with eggs (I wasn’t looking forward to how many failed experiments to find the right combination). Thanks for saving me the time of looking up a recipe, although, due to digestion issues, I think I will try to convert this to sourdough. YUM O!

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      August 13, 2012 at 5:29 pm

      Eggs do lend a wonderful texture to bread, don’t they? 🙂

      Reply
  13. Connie says

    August 13, 2012 at 2:37 pm

    Sounds delish, and since I am always hunting for good bread recipes I will try it. But I have a question–how does this recipe have anything to do with sourdough? I was looking for it to be mild sourdough or a sourdough that can serve as starter from one day to the next. (So I would make this dough and then reserve half of it for the next day then add more flour and water/milk to double the dough and bake half of it, reserving half for the next day. And so on. I think, ;))

    I am enjoying your blog, Stacy. Many thanks!

    Reply
    • Brandy says

      August 13, 2012 at 3:24 pm

      You can treat it like a sourdough, but I have found the starter would weaken over time. For that reason (and the fact that I don’t bake bread every week), I just start fresh. This may be different if it were left on the counter instead of in the fridge. I started making this bread years before I made kefir and understood how temperature impacted cultures. Click on the link to learn more about pre-ferments and their benefits. It is very mild, not at all sour. My husband, who loves very sour sourdough, prefers this bread to all others I make.

      Reply
  14. Erin@TheHumbledHomemaker says

    August 13, 2012 at 9:01 am

    Looks delicious!

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      August 13, 2012 at 11:26 am

      I agree! 🙂

      Reply
  15. Tara @ Simply Made Home says

    August 13, 2012 at 7:25 am

    I soak presoak mine as well, but I have to make dairy free bread. I am sure that this one is amazing though!

    Reply
    • Brandy says

      August 13, 2012 at 9:05 am

      It would be easy to leave out the milk and use another fat besides butter. 🙂

      Reply
  16. Jean whitaker says

    August 13, 2012 at 7:09 am

    I am very interested in trying this grain—have not ever heard to much about it–so is very new to me–thanks for the recipe–now to find this at my local health food store

    Reply
  17. Yolanda says

    August 13, 2012 at 6:59 am

    I am going to give this a try today. 🙂

    Reply
  18. Nicole says

    August 13, 2012 at 6:46 am

    YummY! Ok, I’ve got to ask….does the iron have anything to do with the proofing? Thinking of all the places I’ve heard about incubating yogurt, I wasn’t sure if the iron is providing a warm moist (steamy) chamber or something?? On another note, I totally thought of you yesterday when I was using one of my ‘blue towels’ (aka surgical huck towel) to ring out my grated zucchini. It worked so much better than using cheesecloth or paper towels:-). Speaking of which, if you know a surgeon or surgical nurse, ask them to snag any unused huck towels after surgery bc once a pack of towels is open they cannot reuse them and have to just throw them out. I haven’t paid yet for a huck towel:-) Ok, train of random thoughts complete 🙂

    Reply
    • Brandy says

      August 13, 2012 at 9:04 am

      No, the iron doesn’t have anything to do with the proofing. 🙂 It just happened to be there when I took the photo. I use my back porch for bread because it is very warm in the Summer.

      Reply


Hello! I’m Stacy!

I believe God created you to be the hero of your home. You CAN manage your home instead of it managing you. That’s why I empower women with simple solutions for their homemaking needs – because if it’s not easy, you won’t do it. {Read More…}

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