best. bread. ever!

monday night i decided that my sourdough starter was ready to use!  i was given a recipe by a friend, but it was giving via text message...and i had deleted the text!  so i went to the internet to find a good recipe!  i have never made sourdough before, so i wasn't even sure what to look for when looking for the "perfect recipe".  i went with one that looked easy...in hopes that it was also good!  i mixed it all up, and then let it sit overnight to rise.  when we got up tuesday morning it smelled fabulous in the kitchen (i love the smell of bread rising!!).  i kneaded the dough, separated it into two pans, let that rise for a bit, and then...fingers crossed stuck it in the oven (okay, my fingers weren't really crossed as i stuck it in the oven---that would make holding the pans rather difficult!).

again my kitchen smelled fabulous!!  nothing beats the smell of freshly baking bread!!  now, this may sound very odd, but after the bread came out of the oven, we didn't devour it.  i actually let it cool, and put it away for the next day.  this is only because i had another loaf of bread that i wanted to finish first...it was very tempting however not to toss that loaf out just so we could eat the fresh bread! 

today for lunch i used the sourdough.  and it was a hit!!!  it was sweeter than i expected and so soft and moist!  the kids loved it!  they ate it all down to the crumbs!!  this is huge for my kids seeing as the normal haaaaate eating the crust of the bread!  here is the recipe.  just remember, you need to make your starter first!  and that takes a few days...so get moving!!!  go make your starter right now!!!!  :)

(recipe is from allrecipes.com)

• 1 cup sourdough starter
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup corn oil
• 6 cups bread flour

Directions

1. Mix sugar, corn oil, salt, water, and 1 cup of sourdough starter together in a large bowl. Sift the flour and add to the mixture. Grease or oil the dough. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise overnight.
2. The next day, knead the dough for 10 minutes. Divide in half, and place into two greased 4 x 8 inch bread pans. Allow the dough to double in size.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 40 to 45 minutes, or until bread is golden brown and taps hollow. Turn out to cool on wire racks.