San Francisco Style Sourdough French Bread - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups water, warm
1 tablespoon yeast
1 cup sourdough starter
3 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups bread flour

Preparation

In a large mixing bowl dissolve yeast in warm water, mix with starter.
Add 3 cups flour, sugar and salt, stir vigorously 2 or 3 minutes.
Cover with a cloth, set in warm place and let rise 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until doubled in size.
Mix baking soda with 1 cup of remaining flour and stir in, the dough should be stiff.
Turn out onto a floured surface and begin kneading.
Add the remaining 1 cup of flour or more if needed to control stickiness.
Knead until satiny, between 5 and 10 minutes.
Shape into 2 oblong loaves or 1 large round loaf, place on lightly greased cookie sheet.
Cover with a cloth, set in warm place free from drafts and let rise 1 to 2 hours or until nearly doubled in size.
Before baking, brush outside with water and make diagonal slashes across the top with a sharp single-edge razor blade.
Put a shallow pan of hot water in the bottom of the oven.
Bake at 400\u00b0 F for 45 minutes or until the crust is a medium dark brown.