I've created a commercial-wild yeast hybrid that achieves the best of both worlds: good flavor without the bad bacteria. The commercial yeast and immediately dominates the culture and starts producing acid that isn't friendly to potentially harmful bacteria. Then it is safe to go wild by continuing to feed the batter, or proto-dough, with water and flour. In time, you'll have what is essentially a sourdough starter. My own proto-dough has been going for about eight months, and the breads I make with it are tasting better and better.

I've found that by keeping a quart of proto-dough around, I can make sourdough-tasting bread in half the time. Not only does the yeast in the proto-dough serve as a microbial rapid deployment unit, but the goo it lives in is packed with flavor. Which means your bread will be, too.

This recipe is part of "Country-Style Sourdough Bread", included in this collection.

Ingredients

1 2/3 cups Bread flour
1 teaspoon Instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 teaspoon Sugar
1/2 (500-mg pill) Vitamin C (not chewable), crushed
2 cups Filtered or spring water warm (105 to 115)