Van Dyne Sourdough Bread

As long as I can remember, my mom, grandma, aunt, and countless Van Dyne cousins have been whipping up this sourdough bread. I think it's on to the third and fourth generations by now. Yes, the starter is technically that old, but technically it's not. I've shared the starter with a few friends, but it seems to be gaining in popularity. This sourdough is a day and a half job, so check the schedule before you start! Also, DO NOT use a stainless steel bowl or spoons when making this. It kills the yeast and your bread will be icky. I use a ceramic bowl that I bought at Walmart and my trusty Pampered Chef bamboo spoon.

Van Dyne Sourdough Bread

Night Before:
Starter (if you want some just ask)
2 c. water
1/4 c. white sugar
2 1/2 c. bread flour (yes, has to be bread flour)

Add the above ingredients to the starter. The batter will be kinda lumpy, but don't worry about it. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and go to bed.

Next Morning:
Your mixture should have lots of little holes/bubbles and "grown" overnight. It will look kinda like this.
Take out 1 1/2 c. of starter and put into a glass jar (about 1/3 of the way for a quart sized jar) and add 1/4 c. sugar, mix well. (Also, don't screw the lid super tight otherwise you will have starter crawling out of it...been there, done that!)

To the remaining starter add:
1 c. water
1/4 c. sugar
1 egg beaten
2 TBS butter
1 TBS salt
5-7 c. of bread flour (humidity outside and inside your house will dictate how much)

When the dough starts to come together put dough on a floured surface and knead. You'll want the dough to be slightly tacky to the touch. Scrape out the bowl you used to mix dough. Spread Crisco or butter in the bowl with a brush, or your fingers, that's what I do. When your dough is kneaded, place dough in bowl then pull out again, turn it over so the butter side is now facing up and place back in the bowl (this helps that icky crusty stuff not to form while it's rising...a little trick from my mommy).


Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and place in a "warm" spot in your kitchen. On top of your dryer is perfect, especially if it's laundry day.

Let rise until double in size. About 3-4 hours...again depends on the temp and humidity.
When doubled in volume, punch down (my favorite part). You can also let it go overnight on accident like my friend Kristen. Not to worry, she said that it still seemed to turn out okay.

Then form dough into loaves (you'll have enough for 2 large ones) and place in greased bread pans. Let rise again until double...another 2-3 hours.

Bake at 375* for 15 minutes, then turn the heat down to 350* for another 10-15 minutes until the top is a nice, deep golden brown. Depending in your oven, you may have to adjust the temp and time.

When you pull the bread out of the oven, immediately use a knife to go around the edge of the pan to loosen ( if you greased the pan well, you might be able to skip this part). Flip bread out of the pan and brush the top with butter.

Let it rest for 15-20 minutes before you tear into it. Or, if you have the patience of my Hubbs, wait 5 minutes and destroy.

Today's bread is still rising so I'll have to post a "Ta-Da!" pic later this evening. Give me a shout if you want to try this and I'll make a batch of starter for you. No, I can't deliver past NW Arkansas.

Ta-Da!

This is what happens when you don't Crisco your pan properly. Oops...