Hop sourdough bread

The first preparation of bread begins with the preparation of hop starter culture. To do this, bring the water to a boil, add the hops and boil for 10 minutes on the slowest fire. Filter through a sieve or gauze, cool to 40 degrees, add a sweetener (honey or sugar).

Add flour to the resulting broth, stir constantly until the liquid acquires a state of thick fermented baked milk. Cover with a lid and leave in a warm place without drafts for a day. During this time, the contents will double, and the starter will be ready to work. We store the finished starter in the refrigerator.

Starting the direct preparation of bread, we take the starter from the refrigerator, add water (3 tbsp.l.), sugar (0.5 tsp.) and flour (3 tsp.). Mix and put in a warm place to approach. As soon as the mass doubles and bubbles appear, the starter is ready to work.

We move the starter into a saucepan and begin to prepare the sourdough, for which we immediately add water (250 ml), flour (220 g) and sugar (0.5 tsp). Mix well, add half a portion of bran and cover with a lid. An important point in the process of making bread is the lid for the pan. It should not have a hole for steam to escape, if there is one, we seal it with tape.

After 3 hours, the sourdough will double in size, and air bubbles will appear. Again add water (250 ml), flour (220 g) and bran, mix. The next stage should not be missed by those who plan to bake bread on sourdough constantly. We put 4 tablespoons of the finished sourdough in a glass jar, cover it with a lid and send it to the refrigerator. This will be a blank for the next time, significantly reducing the work time in the future.

To the sourdough used for baking, add salt, the rest of the flour, vegetable oil and knead the dough. We lubricate the form with oil or spread it with paper, spread the dough, also lubricate the top with oil, cover it with a towel and leave it to approach in a warm place. After doubling the volume, we proceed to the baking process.

In a preheated 240 degree oven, bake bread for 30 minutes. Then we lower the temperature to 200 degrees and bring it to a ruddy crust for another 10-15 minutes. We take the bread out of the mold hot, sprinkle it with water, wrap it in a towel and an airtight bag. We leave it to rest for an hour.

Hop sourdough bread is ready, bon appetit!