this IS plain and simple. I don't have a bread machine and the rule of thumb I was told for sourdough is 1.5 cups of starter per loaf when not using yeast. To me the beauty of using starter is *not* needing the yeast. Also, with starter/no yeast you get a much slower fermentation and thus a better "sourdough" flavor to the bread. That said, I understand that this recipie is intended for a bread machine which pretty much makes the added yeast necessary. To make it "non machine" oriented I just eliminated the yeast, and used 1.5c starter and 1/4 c. of water to make up the same liquid content. There is only 1 recipie I found here on AR that uses no bread machine and no added yeast like I was looking for. I tried it and didn't like it...so started playing with other ones for the bread machines. I like this one the best with the changes in the starter above. This one has a good bite to it like sourdough should. The others I tried came out too sweet like plain old white bread.*made this a few more times and tweaked it. Knead about 50 times since the bread dough machine "does it for you". Normally bread bakes in about 30 minutes. The last time I didn't hear the timer go off and it baked a lot longer. It came out NICE and crusty that way...family declared it just perfect!

This was an incredibly easy recipe! I do believe that the quality of your finished product will really depend on the quality of your starter. I mixed it up on the dough cycle then made it into 12 good sized rolls & baked them til golden. Only problem is they are so much better than store bought that my husband wants them all the time!

Super easy! Used it with a 50 year old sour dough starter I was recently gifted. The taste and texture were fantastic. I used the bread machine on the dough cycle and the made 16 large rolls to bake in the oven. Will definitely make again.

I just got my starter ready and wanted to try a great sourdough recipe and found this one! It worked Great! Very pleased with the results. Used my bread machine on setting 1. Loaf was perfect and light. I did use the suggestion of putting the yeast in warm water first, with about a teaspoon of sugar, to help the rise and it worked perfectly. Thank you!

These were good! I haven't found the trick to getting a nice crust on sourdough yet. I can bake other breads like a champ, but for some reason this is a challenge for me. If anyone can figure it out, let me know! The only thing I haven't tried is an egg white wash. I sprayed these with water with no very good results, but the bread itself was wonderful!

All I can say is WOW!!! Best tasting sourdough bread recipe I've found online and it turns out perfect everytime! I use the dough cycle on my bread machine and when finished, I dump it on a non stick silicone baking sheet, punch out the air bubbles and form it into 80 gram balls. I slice a cross on the top, brush with water and sprinkle on some sea salt and place in my bread warmer for an hour. Pop them into the oven at 375 for 10 minutes, cool for as long as your tempted to rip 'em open, slather with butter and devour. For a nice brown color after you've baked them for 10 minutes, I open the oven door and broil them them just a little for about 1 minute. Don't walk away, just keep a close eye on it. This is my one indulgence as I don't normally eat carbs. I take my starter out of the fridge, feed it, and wait two- three days before making bread. It gives it that nice sourdough flavor if I wait longer. My sourdough starter is: 1 pkg dry yeast in 1/2 C warm water, 2 C King Arthur unbleached white bread flour, 2 C warm water and 1 TB sugar. I feed once a week with: 1 C hot water, 1/4 c potato flakes, 1/2 C sugar, 1 C white bread flour. You really can't go wrong with this recipe. To die for!!!

I made this today after using the Sourdough Starter by Esther Nelson from this website. I was a little nervous because I have heard that sourdough bread can be frustrating and tricky. To top things off, I am at a high altitude (about 6200ft). I dumped everything in my bread machine just as the recipe said and according to my machine's suggestions. This bread was AWESOME! I will be keeping my sourdough starter going and making this bread often!

This bread came out almost perfect. It was a little dense and didn't rise as much as I expected. However, it tasted great and was perfect for sandwiches. For the second loaf I tried adding the yeast to the water and letting it set for 10 minutes before adding the other ingredients. I also added 1 tablespoon of sugar to the water/yeast mixture. This time I was afraid it was going to rise too high but it turned out to be a perfect loaf of bread. With just a slight tweak this is a perfect sourdough recipe.

Makes the best bread. Soft and chewy. My husband loves it

I was a little anxious about this as I was oven baking it and not using a bread machine. Right after I dumped the yeast in I wondered if I should have proofed it first as I normally do, but it was too late, so I just hoped for the best. And I got it. Fantastic. This recipe is going to Christmas Dinner.