Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Levain
- The night before baking, feed your sourdough starter about 6–8 hours before making the dough. Place it in a warm spot (around 78–80°F) and let it become bubbly and doubled in size. Once the starter reaches peak or near-peak activity, place it in the refrigerator overnight.
- The next day, remove the ripe starter from the fridge and let it come closer to room temperature before using it in the bread dough.
Autolyse
- Mix the dough: In a large mixing bowl, combine the bread flour and water until no dry flour remains. The dough will look rough and shaggy. At this stage it usually looks messy and questionable. Perfect.720 g bread flour, 380 g water
- Rest the dough: Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 30 minutes. This helps hydrate the flour and improves texture later.
Mix in Active Starter and Salt
- Add the starter and salt: Add the active sourdough starter and salt. Mix thoroughly until fully incorporated and the dough starts feeling smoother.140 g active sourdough starter, 14 g fine sea salt
Bulk Fermentation
- Do stretch and folds: Over the next 2 hours, perform stretch and folds every 30 minutes. This sounds fancy, but it’s basically just gently lifting and folding the dough. Gently pull one side of the dough upward and fold it over the center. Rotate the bowl and repeat on all sides.
- Bulk ferment the dough: This is the hardest part for impatient people (me). Cover and let the dough rise at room temperature for about 6–8 hours, or overnight if your kitchen is cooler. The dough should look airy, puffed up, and slightly jiggly.
Shape and Bench Rest
- Shape the loaf: Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a round loaf, creating gentle surface tension.
- Proof the dough: Place the dough seam-side up into a floured proofing basket or a bowl lined with a floured towel. Cover and let rise for 1–2 hours, or refrigerate overnight for deeper flavor.
- Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 240°C / 465°F with a Dutch oven inside.
Score and Bake
- Score and bake: Turn the dough onto parchment paper, score the top with a sharp blade, and carefully transfer it into the hot Dutch oven.
- Bake covered then uncovered: Bake covered for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and bake another 20–22 minutes until the crust is deeply golden and crisp. That first crackling sound after baking is honestly the best part.
- Cool completely: Transfer the loaf to a wire rack and let cool completely before slicing. This helps the inside stay soft and chewy instead of gummy.
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