Sourdough Loaf Pan Bread

This morning I decided I wanted to make a sourdough bread in a loaf pan. I worked up a new version of my Overnight Sourdough Bread.

Ingredients:

• 16  ounces sourdough starter (or 8 ounces water and 8 ounces all-purpose flour)
  
• 4  ounces lukewarm water
• 10.5  ounces all-purpose flour   
• .25 cup dried milk powder (optional, but I used it)
  
• 2  teaspoons yeast
• 1.75   teaspoons salt
        

Instructions:

1. Feed your sourdough starter so you can remove 16 ounces, let it activate (feed it again afterwards!)
   
2. Grease two 9" x 5" loaf pans (one will be the lid)
   
3. Pour the sourdough starter into a stand mixer bowl. 
4. Add the water, flour, (optional milk powder) and salt to the starter. Knead for about 6 minutes.
5. As needed, knead in 1 or 2 more tablespoons of flour to make a smooth not-to-sticky dough.
   
6. Turn out the dough onto a well floured surface, pat flat, and roll into a 9" log.
   
7. Place the log in one of the greased pans, cover, and allow to rise for 60 minutes.
8. Preheat oven to 425 degrees about 30 minutes after the dough starts rising.
9. Spritz the dough and the empty pan with a little water.
   
10. Just before baking, slash the bread with a lame or a very sharp knife several times across the top.
    
11. Place the empty pan over the risen dough, and bake for 20 minutes. (I placed the pans on top of my pre-heated baking steel sheet.)
    
12. Remove top from the pan.
13. Optionally - remove from oven, brush the loaf with a little olive oil or butter get a browner crust.
14. Bake the bread another 15 minutes or so. It should reach 205 degrees on an instant read thermometer.
15. Remove bread from pan and place on a cooling rack. (Rub some butter over the top if you want  softer crust,)  Let cool for an hour or so before slicing.
    

Carole's Notes:

My goal was for a loaf sized sourdough bread  - and this one turned out  great! The loaf grew nicely - the loaf pan top helped shape it.

The recipe was adapted from my Overnight Sourdough Bread to fit my 9" x 5" loaf pans.