So I have been messing with my non acidic starter to see if I could correct that and get some sour to my sourdough.  I added 1 tsp of cider vinegar to one starter and fed it after 12 hours, then 1/2 tsp to another starter and fed it 3xs (every 8 hrs), and then made a control loaf that was with the original starter.  Now I don't have proofing baskets so when I put them in the fridge they were in greased glass bowls, so I think I can correct the shape.  The one loaf that had the best shape I just plopped out of the bowl onto the stone and didn't try to gather up the bottom before placing it on the stone, like the others.  Live and learn, and hope for baskets for Valentines day.

I don't know if you can tell by this picture, but I got quite the oven spring out of my chocolate sourdough this time.  The loaf just split in two,the guts of which bulged out.  So, I am guessing I need to work on my slashing technique.  It was really yummy and crumb was great, but I kinda laughed when I pulled it out of the oven.  I did steam  the oven this time right from the beginning, whereas I forgot to the first time I made this recipe.

Yes I know you all envy my bread saw.  Wish I could find them again.  I got it 14 years ago at the Park City arts festival in Utah.

Now, before finding TFL I thought I knew a lot about bread baking, not so when you consider artisan style breads and sourdough starter.  I am a food storage fanatic, have 4 children and haven't bought bread for probably5-6 years.  Other than the occasional loaf during tax season (I am a cpa).  So, this is the recipe that I use.  I buy my white wheat from Montana Milling (high protien content) and grind it in my ultramill wheat grinder.  Now, I am sure you could just buy wheat flour at the store, provided it has a good high protien content.  Even though I feel I buy the best white wheat out there, I still add VWG.

Here is my recipe. This was before I knew about weighing my ingredients.

2 cups warm water (110-120deg)

2 T sugar

1 T active dry yeast 

dissolve together,

then add

1 T salt, dissolve. 

Then add 3 1/2 cups wheat flour and

1/2 cup gluten,

mix all together (I use my kitchen aid for this), let rise for 45 minutes

Then mix together (I use a 2 cup pyrex)

2/3 cup warm water,

1/2 cup brown sugar,

3-4 T safflower oil (you can use other types of oil, but this has a nutty taste that i like). 

Take oil mixture and add to the yeast/flour mixture, slowly in the kitchen aid (it has a tendency to slosh out if you do it fast),

then mix in 1 egg. 

Add 3 1/2 cups of wheat flour, let knead in KitchenAid until a nice dough ball forms.  Let rise 45 minutes. 

Punch down and divide into 3 loaves, put in greased loaf pans (I use stoneware pans from PampChef) and let rise for 90 minutes or so.  Bake for 27 minutes at 350 degrees. 

It is a perfect sandwich loaf. Even for peanut butter.

I am trying to adapt this recipe to my starter, haven't been entirely successful yet, as I need to propagate my starter to whole wheat, whereas I currently have a rye and a white starter going.

My first try at chocolate sourdough was a success!  Chewy, not too sweet, the kids loved it, the crust was perfect!  Oh, the joy! And the calories and the treadmill to come...he, he, he.  Thanks for a great recipe SP!