Ingredients
100 grams active starter (½ cup)
350 grams warm water (1 ⅓ cup + 2 tbps)
500 grams unbleached all-purpose or bread flour (4 cup + 2 tbps)
10 grams salt (1 ½ tsps)
Dough Prep Instructions
1.The day that you’d like to make your bread, feed your starter (equal parts starter, flour and water).
Example: 100 grams of starter, mix in 100 grams flour and 100 grams water.
Your starter will be ready to use when it has reached its peak and before it starts to shrink back down in size (approx 4-6 hours).
2. To make your bread dough, using the ingredients above, measure out your active starter and water, and mix together well with a fork in a mixing bowl. Add the flour and salt and use the fork to combine the mixture into a shaggy dough.
3. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and let rest for 1 hour at room temperature. After an hour use your hands to gently pull the edges of the dough into the middle. Do this, rotating around the bowl until the dough starts to look like bread dough. It should take about a minute of going around the bowl 2-3 times pulling and tucking into the center.
4. Cover the bread dough with a damp kitchen towel and let it rise for 8-10 hours at room temperature. This is known as the Bulk Rise.
5. After the Bulk Rise, gently remove the dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Tuck the edges of the dough into the center and work around the center until you’ve tucked them all in. Then flip the ball over and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.
6. Using your hands, gently pull the dough ball towards you, letting its grip on the counter pull it into a tighter ball. Rotate the dough and repeat until you form a tight ball.
7. Prepare a bread proofing basket by dusting it well with flour. If you don’t have a proofing basket you can use a mixing bowl lined with a kitchen towel and dust it well with flour.
8. Place your dough ball smooth top down into your basket or bowl and cover it with a damp towel. You can now either let the dough rest for 1-2 hours at room temperature and then bake it, or place it in the refrigerator for a long, cold ferment (12 - 36 hours).
Baking Instructions
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Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Gently turn your bread dough onto a piece of parchment paper. I like to put my parchment paper on top of the proofing basket and turn it over gently.
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Score the top of the loaf with a lame or a sharp knife.
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Use the corners of the parchment paper to lift the dough into your dutch oven. Place the lid on the dutch oven and bake covered for 30 minutes.
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Remove the lid and bake uncovered for an additional 15-20 minutes.
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Remove the pan from the oven, remove the bread from the pan, and let it cool on a wire rack for 1 hour before slicing and serving.
Tips
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If you don’t want your bread to get too dark on the bottom, place a meat trivet at the bottom of the dutch oven under your loaf during baking.
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Place 2 ice cubes under your parchment paper before baking. The steam will give your loaf a nice crispy crust.
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If you want your scoring design to stand out, rub your dough with rice flour before scoring. Also do not use ice cubes or water in the dutch oven, as it will melt away the flour.
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Placing your dutch oven in your oven during Preheat will give your loaf a better rise.