This recipe incredible. First started making this 5 or 6 years ago and then stopped making homemade bread. Once I got married I found myself pulling out this old well worn recipe and family loves it! Since I originally did this, I substitute the all purpose flour with bread flour and use extra virgin olive oil in place of vegetable oil. The difference in the rise is phenomenal! I give loaves to friends and family and they love to toast it and add butter and honey as toppings. Between this one and others found at this site, I don't buy bread in the store anymore.

Excellent recipe! Giving it 4 instead of 5 because it is not a traditional San Francisco soughdough recipe. I lived in San Francisco and they use corn meal on the baking sheet instead of oil and do not normally add chopped onions but the option is available. (of course, that was 10 years ago, may have changed) That said, both with and without the onions is excellent and even better with the cornmeal baked into the bottom. I formed one loaf oblong onto a baking sheet and one round onto a baking sheet. Have to be careful with the egg wash step because I lost some of the rise. Out of 2 loaves only half of one was left the next day. (husband called it the best bread I'd made and he'd raved about my honey wheat before this) Will be making the recipe again this weekend as the starter is more mature now and has a great sour smell to it.

This is an excellent recipe! The only reason that I gave a 4 star instead of 5 star is because the recipe does not instruct on the feeding it daily. I got that information from other reviews. My first two starters turned orange and had to be thrown out because it gets so hot in Phoenix, AZ. If you live in a hot state and don't keep the room in the 70's due to high electricity bills, you'll want to keep the starter in the refrigerator and feed it twice a day. I leave mine out overnight because that's when I crank up the air conditioner and it gives the starter a chance to age at a faster rate. First batch of sourdough bread using the San Francisco sourdough recipe turned out very well. Turned out fabulous but not as sour as it should be, but I didn't expect it to be with such a young starter. Last night when I fed my twice daily 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 cut warm water I could really smell it and look forward to the next batch.

Love this recipe! I like making bread without a bread machine and always look for new, fun, and easier ways to achieve the same delicious taste. This is it! I look forward to teaching my children some day as I can easily see how fun it would be for them. I set the bread out on the patio with a damp towel over it (dry heat in Arizona, need damp towel)and left it for over an hour due to errands. It turned out fabulous and just in time for my husband's birthday dinner! He loved it!