Sour Dough Bread recipe

I've not made a post here in forever, but I was asked to post some information about the sour dough bread recipe and thought this would be the best place to post it. So, here it is:

SOUR DOUGH BREAD

Take starter out of refrigerator and let it come to room temperature (I usually let it stay out all day). Feed the starter with the following:

3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons instant potatoes
1 cup lukewarm water

Mix well and add to starter. Let stand out of refrigerator all day (another 8 to 12 hours). Keep top on container.

Stir starter. Take out 1 ¼ cups of starter to make bread, returning the remainder to the refrigerator (and store for 3-5 days and then feed again – I feed mine once a week). If not making bread after feeding starter, throw away 1 cup. This is to avoid deflating your starter.

BREAD:

In a larger bowl, make a stiff batter of the following:

1/3 cup sugar 1 1/4 cup starter
1/2 cup oil 1 1/4 cup warm water
1 teaspoon salt 6 cups bread flour *

* For whole wheat, substitute 1 cup whole wheat flour and 5 cups flour. Also, I use PILLSBURY BREAD FLOUR; it works much better than regular flour.

Grease a large bowl with oil. Put dough in and turn over (oily side up); cover with saran wrap and then a towel and let stand overnight (do not refrigerate). If dough has not risen, you may let it stand longer. Next morning, punch it down and knead a little. Divide into three equal parts and knead each part on a floured surface 8 – 10 times. Put in to greased loaf pans and brush tops with oil. Cover pans with saran wrap and towel again and let rise (it will sometimes rise in a few hours and sometimes it will take 12 – 24 hours – I let mine rise until it reaches tops of pan—in the winter it takes longer than it does in the summer).

Bake at 350 deg. for 30 – 45 min. depending upon your oven. I bake mine for 30 min. and have to lower my top rack, because my oven bakes the top of the bread too fast. Remove from pans and brush with butter. Cool on rack. Wrap well and store in refrigerator—I freeze mine. I wrap in saran wrap and then in aluminum foil before freezing.

BE SURE TO FEED STARTER ON REGULAR BASIS! -- Even if not making bread.