Saturday Sourdough Bread

Total Time: 6 hrs 35 mins Preparation Time: 6 hrs Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons sourdough starter (1 oz)
• 1/3 cup water (2.25 oz room temperature)
• 1/2 cup flour (2.25 oz all purposed unbleached flour)
• 1 1/3 cups water (10.5 oz room temperature)
• 3 1/2 cups flour (15.75 oz unbleached bread flour)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (0.4 oz table salt)

Recipe

• 1 starter sponge: add starter to the water and wisk together. add flour, mix well, cover and let sit at room temperature (70 to 75f) until doubled in volume (6 hours or overnight).
• 2 dough: wisk starter sponge into the water and add enough flour to make a thin batter. wisk to aerate dough, forming some bubbles. add the rest of the flour and mix well to incorporate.
• 3 cover the bowl and let rest for 20 minutes.
• 4 add salt and knead for 8 minutes. cover and let rest 5 minutes.
• 5 stretch and fold the dough once by stretching dough into a rectangle and folding letter-style side to side and top to bottom.
• 6 place in oiled container (straight sided is best) and mark the point on the container where the dough is doubled.
• 7 let rise in 75 to 80 f area for 30 minutes. stretch and fold the dough for the second time.
• 8 let rise in 75 to 80 f area for 1 more hour or until doubled in volume (3 1/2 to 4 hours).
• 9 remove dough and divide into 2 pieces weighing just shy of 1 lb each.
• 10 shape into batards or torpedo or boule (ball) shapes. place loaves on a floured cloth folded to support the sides of each loaf and cover with oiled plastic or in proofing baskets or bowls.
• 11 at this point, i let rise for 20 - 30 minutes and place in the fridge but you can let the loaves rise until 1 1/2 times their volume and bake.
• 12 if refrigerated, remove the loaves and let warm in a warm place for about 45 minutes as the oven prehneats to 450°f.
• 13 add a cast iron skillet near the bottom of the oven to preheat as well.
• 14 add 1 cup of hot water to the skillet carefully to avoid breaking the oven door glass and score the loaves with a razor blade.
• 15 transfer the loaves to parchment paper and place in the oven using a flat baking sheet or a peel.
• 16 bake for 12 minutes and rotate loaves for even cooking. remove steam pan as well.
• 17 bake for 10 more minutes until browned or 205 f internal temp cool on rack.