Sourdough bread

Instructions

Basic steps overview

1. Mix the dough, incorporating the ingredients at 30 minutes interval. Duration: 1 hour.
2. Perform 4 sets of folds 30 minutes apart. Let rest one extra hour after the fourth set. Duration: 2 h 30.
3. Shape the dough and let rise for 12­–13 hours in the fridge.
4. Score and bake.

Mix the dough

1. In a bowl, make a well with the flour, add the water, and mix until the dough is smooth. There is no need to knead, the ingredients simply need to be combined.
2. Cover with a clean cloth and let rest for 30 minutes in a warm place (24 °C) or in the turned-off oven.
3. Incorporate the sourdough starter to the dough, pushing in with your fingers while rotating the bowl with your other hand. Knead lightly until the dough is homogenous. Cover with the same cloth and let rest for 30 minutes.
4. Add the salt (and optional herbs/seeds) and incorporate it using the same method as for the sourdough starter.

First rise: stretch and fold

1. On one side of the bowl, reach under the dough. Grab this side of the dough, pull it up, and bring it to the top. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat this process three times to go all the way around. Wet your fingers to avoid having dough stick to your hands. Cover and let rest.
2. Repeat the previous folding step every 30 minutes. Four folds in total (counting the first one) are enough. The dough should have risen for 1 h 30 after your fourth and last fold. Let rest one extra hour without folding.

Second rise: in a banneton

1. After 2 h 30, pour the dough onto a floured work surface. To avoid damaging the dough and deflating it, use a dough scraper. Fold all sides of the dough toward the center, and turn it over (so that the seam-side is down). Gently cup the dough, pulling and twisting until it forms a tight skin with surface tension on the outside of the dough ball. Place the dough in a floured banneton, cover with a wrap, and let rest in the refrigerator for 12­–13 hours.

Bake

1. 30 minutes or so before the dough is ready to bake, preheat your oven to 230 °C, with the empty dutch oven inside.
2. When ready to bake, remove the banneton from the refrigerator. Turn the loaf out onto a sheet of baking paper. Sift the bread with flour and score (make indentations) with a sharp razor blade.
3. Remove the dutch oven from the oven and take off the lid. Place the sheet of paper (with the dough on top) in the dutch oven.
4. Place the lid back onto the dutch oven, return it to the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
5. Remove the lid and bake uncovered for an additional 20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
6. Let the bread cool on a cooling rack for 1–2 hours before slicing to prevent it from becoming gummy.

Notes

• Make sure your sourdough starter is at its best for an optimal result. I usually try to refresh it in two phases (instead of all at once) before using it.
• How to check if the dough is ready to bake? Use your thumb to make an indentation in the dough about a half inch deep. If the indention springs back very slowly, the dough is ready to bake. If the indentation quickly springs back all the way, or almost all the way, it's still needs more time to rise. If the indention doesn't spring back at all, it's more than likely over-proofed.