Sourdough Bread

Sourdough has a long fermentation process. The longer it sits during proofing, the more flavor it will yield. It often is done best with a bench rest on the counter, as well as a long cold rest in the fridge or cool place below 50F. Plan ahead by having a place in the fridge to store your bread while it rests before baking.

1. In a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add 300g of room temperature water followed by 100g of starter. Mix with your fingers until the starter is just dissolved into the water.
2. Add 500g of bread flour followed by 12g of salt.
3. With your hand or stand mixer on low (or 2nd setting on a KitchenAid) mix the dough until just combined.  It will appear to be a dry shaggy mess at first.
4. Let the dough rest, covered on the counter or on the mixer with a wet warm towel for approximately 30-60 minutes.
5. After the dough has rested, begin the first stretch-and-fold by grabbing a portion of dough from the outside of the ball and stretch up-away and over the rest of the dough. Turn the bowl 20deg and repeat until you have worked your away around the entire ball.
6. Repeat this process every hour for 4-6 hours.
7. By now the dough should be very stretchy, smooth, and can pass the window pane test. If the dough fails the window pane test, repeat the hourly stretch-and-folds until it passes.
8. Form the dough into a taunt ball by first stretching it carefully out into a chubby rectangle. Do not fully flatten out the gasses. Just stretch it enough to to a point where you can start to perform a swaddle technique.
9. To swaddle the dough, start by tugging at top corner and fold the dough inward on the rectangle and press it firmly into the center. Repeat with the opposite top corner.
10. Move down an inch and repeat the swaddle technique. Continue to move down 1 inch until you've reached the bottom off the dough.
11. Once you finished roll the dough tightly from the bottom upwards, pressing firmly after each roll to create a bond after each roll. Repeat this rolling process till you reach the top, and firmly seal the end.
12. Finally, with your hands joined at the fingertips and turned upside down with your fingernails facing the table, sweep your hands beneath the dough as to drag it across your work surface forming the dough into a taunt ball shape.
13. Rotate the dough 90deg and continue to do this a couple of times or as many times as is needed to make a taunt skin around the outside of the dough.
14. Once the dough is neatly formed into a smooth taunt ball, place the dough upside down with the "seem" facing upwards in a floured banneton or proofing bowl that is nearly twice the size of the dough.
15. Dust the the top of the dough and cover the dough with the banneton cover or slightly damp kitchen down and place it the fridge for 8-24 hours.
16. About 1 hour before you bake, turn the oven on to its highest setting. (450F-550F) Let the oven heat for at least 45-60m with a dutch oven pot, or pizza stone inside. If you are not using a dutch oven with a lid, place an additional loaf pan or tray to heat up with the stone or baking sheet.
17. Once preheated, turn out the dough upside-down onto a large section of parchment paper. With a bread lame, razor blade, or sharp knife, score a smooth deep cut along the length of the dough in straight line, or shape of your choice. The cut should be about 3/4-1" inch deep and cut on a steep angle to the surface of the dough.
18. Using the parchment as handles, carefully drop the dough into the hot dutch oven or on the hot baking stone and quickly spritz with water around the outside of the dough near the edges of the pan or dutch oven. If you're not using using a dutch oven, then quickly add ice or boiling water to the empty loaf pan to create steam.
19. If using a dutch oven, bake with a lid on for 10 minutes, and reduce the heat to 420F.  If your oven maxes out at 400-420 leave the dough uncovered and let the bread cook at this temperature for 50-60 minutes.
20. If you have a lid, remove it after 30 minutes of baking, and continue to bake for another 25-30m or until the bread is a dark caramel color or the most desired color you like best.
21. Let cool for at least 60 minutes before serving. (Best served plain or with salted butter to taste your results.)