Buttermilk Sourdough Sandwich Bread

My niece has swayed me into growing a sourdough starter. I did one years ago and was too young and social to give it any consistency in feeding, so it failed quickly. Since I'm older and have a less active social life, I decided to give it a go with her. I've been feeding it for almost two weeks now and I get sad having to throw away half the starter each time I feed it. So I decided I'd find a way to use it. There are tons of sourdough discard recipes online, but I have a hard time knowing what recipes are going to turn out good....So I decided to just modify a recipe that had already proven to be perfection.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup warm water

• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast

• 2 tablespoons butter softened

• 3 1/3 cups all purpose

• 2 tablespoons dry buttermilk

• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt

• 1 cup sourdough discard (can do less if you don't have a cup, but it will taste less sour)

Directions:

• Pour the warm water (115 degrees or slightly warmer. When you add the starter, the temperature will drop about 5-10 degrees) and sourdough discard in a stand mixer bowl and mix until starter has incorporated with the warm water. Sprinkle the yeast on top of the mixture and wait about 5 minutes for the yeast to activate. Then add the rest of the ingredients to the mixing bowl. With the paddle attachment, mix the ingredients until they are just combined and completely moistened. Then take off the paddle attachment and replace it with the dough hook. Knead the bread on medium speed for about 5-7 minutes. *you may need to add a little more four depending on the hydration of your starter. Your dough should be sticky to the touch, but mostly pull away from the sides of the bowl

• Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Let it rise in a warm space for about 30 minutes or until doubled in size. Punch the dough down.

• Take the dough ball, form it into a loaf and put it in a greased loaf pan (I use a 9"x5" size). and let it rise again for about another 25 -40 minutes or until it's increased by 50%

• Bake at 375 for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.