You owe it to yourself to try this bread - in the summer though, keep a watch on it during the final rise, it'll blow the proof faster than you can imagine. I came home the other day after running errands while it proofed to find it rolling down the side of my breadpan. Not to worry though, I punched it down, reshaped and let it rise again, it wasn't the prettiest loaf I've made, but it tasted just fine.
Instructions for simple Sourdough Pan Bread using Carl Griffith's 1847 Oregon Trail Sourdough Starter and a Kitchen Aid K-45 mixer
Put into the mixing bowl:1 cup fully active culture
2 cups water
2 cups bread flour
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Mix manually. Let sit covered for 8 or 10 hr.
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Manually mix in: 2 tsp. salt & 3 more cups flour. Machine knead ~10 min. at low speed while adjusting consistency by adding 1 cup more or less of additional flour, until the dough no longer sticks to bowl or fingers.
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Remove from mixer, hand knead briefly, and split dough. Work in more flour while hand kneading each piece. (total cups flour=6+, possibly<6) Well, I also bat each piece around in the bowl with the dough hook, at medium speed. (Bat one while kneading the other, repeat twice.)
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Form and reform each piece several times during 20 or 30 minutes, otherwise keeping covered. The dough should be soft enough to easily reseal a seam, but should not stick to hands. Finally form to oblong and cut tops with a razor blade, 10 or 12 diagonal cuts. Dough as finally formed should be silky smooth.
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Place in pans*, allow to rise 5 to 8 hrs., enclosed to retain moisture, until top is an inch or two higher than the top of the pan. (3 in. is possible!) Bake 40 min. at ~375°F. Cold start OK. (Expect little "oven push", or none.)
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*usual Teflon-coated steel pans, capacity ~67 fl. oz. (~8-1/3 cups) to brim; Times are approximate, for ~70°F -- Shorten for summertime.
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Cans as measures: A 16 ounce can is good for fetching the first 2 cups of flour, and a 32 ounce can gets most of the rest. Keep cans with flour.
