Sourdough Bread

Ingredients:

• 100g active, bubbly sourdough starter (1:5:5 ratio, e.g. 1g starter:5g water:5g flour)
• 550g King Arthur bread flour
• 450g warm natural spring water (between 80°-90°F, adjust as needed for your humidity)
• 12g pink salt dissolved in ¼ cup of water

Instructions:

1. Mix the dough:

   • In a large bowl, combine the starter, bread flour, and water to form a shaggy dough.
   • Let the dough rest, covered with a damp tea towel, for 45 minutes.

2. Add the salt:

   • Remove the tea towel and add the dissolved salt and water to the dough. Gently squish it into the dough for about 2 minutes to incorporate.

3. First round of stretch and folds:

   • Perform your first round of stretch and folds. This can take about 8 total folds, doing it twice around the bowl. Continue until the dough feels firm.

4. Rest between folds:

   • Let the dough rest under a damp tea towel for 30 minutes.
   • Repeat the stretch and folds (or coil folds) for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th rounds, letting the dough rest 30 minutes in between each fold.

5. Bulk fermentation:

   • After the final fold, let the dough bulk ferment for 4-5 hours at room temperature, covered with a damp tea towel, until it has doubled in size, is jiggly, and has bubbles on the sides. You can use a warm spot, like near the dishwasher, to encourage fermentation.

6. Pre-shaping:

   • Once bulk fermentation is complete, lightly flour your countertop. Gently lift the dough out of the bowl (it should easily fall out) and fold it over itself 5-7 times to strengthen it.

7. Laminate and shape:

   • Gently stretch the dough into a rectangle. Perform the “hotdog fold” on both sides—fold one side to the center and then the other.
   • Next, fold the top into a small triangle, and roll the dough tightly.
   • After rolling, shape the dough to firm up the top as desired.

8. Rest:

   • Let the dough rest for 20 minutes under a damp tea towel.

9. Final shaping:

   • After resting, lightly flour your counter, flip the dough, and repeat the lamination step for your final shaping.
   • Place the dough, pretty side down, into a floured proofing basket (banneton), and cover with a plastic shower cap or cloth. Let it rest in the fridge for overnight fermentation, or up to 5 days for a more tangy flavor.

10. Baking:

    • Preheat your oven to 475°F with your Dutch oven inside. Let the oven and Dutch oven preheat for at least 45 minutes to 1 hour.
    • Once ready, pull the dough from the fridge. Place it on parchment paper and score the top.
    • Place the dough into the preheated Dutch oven, adding two ice cubes behind the parchment paper to create steam.
    • Bake for 20 minutes covered, then reduce the temperature to 450°F and bake uncovered for an additional 20-30 minutes, depending on your preferred crust color.

11. Cool:

    • Once baked, remove from the oven and let the bread cool completely before slicing.