Sourdough Artisan Bread Recipe

• In a very large bowl, weigh out the water and the starter. Using a whisk, stir the mixture to combine. Ensure that the remaining lumps are completely dissolved. You may use your hands to dissolve any remaining lumps.
• Add bread flour to the starter mixture. Using the dough whisk, incorporate the dough into a sticky mass. Switch to your bowl scraper and finish combing the flour into one homogeneous mass. Cover and let rest for ten minutes.
• Meanwhile grind the salt into a fine powder. You can use mortar and pestle or spice grinder. After 10 minutes are up, dimple the dough with your finger and add the salt on top.
• Complete knead #1: Fold the edges of the dough up and toward the center for 30 folds. Flip dough over, cover and place in a warm place and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
• Loosen dough with scraper, Complete knead #2: (30 folds to the center),flip the dough over and let it rest for 10 minutes.
• Loosen the dough with scraper, do Knead # 3: (30 folds to the center),flip dough over and let it rest for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes is up, loosen the dough from the bowl, with wet hands, complete 6 stretches of the dough- pull the dough 6 inches up and towards the center, rotating the dough as you go. Complete 6 stretch folds, flip dough and cover. Let dough rest for thirty minutes.
• Complete a series of 6 stretch folds 3 more times with 30-minutes rest at each interval. The dough should have now rested for two hours and doubled in bulk.
• Meanwhile, prepare the bannetons/proofing baskets by dusting it with flour,getting into all the grooves.Alternatively, use the provided linen cloth cover. Complete a light dusting of the cover with flour.
• Divide the dough in half and form into round or ovals depending on the shape of your banneton.

Shaping the Loaves

• For an oval banneton, shape the dough into a long oval/rounded rectangle. Fold the dough in on itself from each short edge towards and meet the edges in the middle. Provide tension on the dough as you roll the edges inward. You may need to flip the dough over and pull towards you from each side of the dough, so that you can provide additional tightness/tension to your loaf.
• For a round banneton, shape the dough into a round slightly flattened ball.Stretch the edges of the round dough toward the center all together completing 7 stretches to the middle of the dough.Provide tension on the dough as you stretch the dough toward the middle of the dough. Provide the tension of the dough as you stretch the dough towards you from several sides of the dough. This helps provide additional tightness/tension to your loaf.
• Place the dough upside down (seam side up) in the prepared bannetons and cover with plastic wrap. Place the prepared loaves in the fridge overnight (12 hours to 36 hours)

On the day of Baking

• On a piece of parchment paper, trace the lid of a dutch oven. Cut out the traced design. This will go to the bottom of your dutch oven along with the dough. This helps protect your loaf from sticking to the pan.
• When ready to bake, place the dutch oven with its lid in an oven set to 500 F for 45 minutes.
• About five minutes before your dutch oven is fully heated, remove the prepared dough from the fridge, remove the plastic wrap and dust the bottom of the dough with rice flour, or all-purpose flour. Carefully remove the dough from the banneton and flip into you your parchment paper. Place the parchment paper prepared dough into a sturdy board.
• Using a blade cut 3/4 inch deep across the entire length of the dough from end to end.
• Once the your dutch oven is fully heated, remove it from the oven and carefully slide the parchment paper prepared dough into the Dutch oven. Cover with lid and return the dutch oven to the hot oven.
• Turn down the oven temperature to 450 F and bake for 20 minutes with the lid on. After 20 minutes, remove the lid and continue to bake the loaf for additional 15-20 minutes until golden brown. The loaf is ready when the internal tempearature reaches 205 F. Let the loaf cool before slicing.
• To bake the second loaf, reheat the oven to 500 F for at least 35 minutes. Before baking the second loaf.
• Optional mixed ins: Sprinkle in mix ins (kalamata olives, sundried tomatoes, rosemary, roasted garlic during the last hour of folds to distribute evenly.