Sourdough Bread

A healthy and delicious treat! Sourdough bread is sometimes hard to find in stores and it's so easy to make.  You can substitute wheat flour for some of the white flour if you prefer. The longer you let it rise, the more glutton will be broken down and the sourer it will be. Also, you can make the dough into a round loaf, or shape it into a baguette.  I usually make 2-3 loaves at a time and freeze whatever we won't eat immediately.

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. honey
3/4 cup starter
1 cup water

Mix all ingredients in a mixer for 4-5 minutes. Put in a greased bowel and cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap.  Let the dough rise for 12-18 hours.  You can turn it over once or twice while it's rising but it's not necessary.  Dump it onto a floured surface and stretch and fold 4 times.  Shape into a ball or roll into a baguette.  Cover and allow to rise for 30-45 minutes while you heat the oven to 400°. Spray the top with water and slash two to three times with a sharp knife. Bake in a convection oven at 400°on a lower rack for 30 minutes, then cover with foil and bake 15 additional minutes.  If you're not using a convection oven, you may have to bake it a little longer. When you take the bread out of the oven, you can rub butter on it to make it pretty if you want. Allow it to cool on a cooling rack for one hour.