Crusty artisan bread with a tangy flavor and open crumb. Worth the wait.
Difficulty: Hard | Prep: 45m | Cook: 24h | Yield: 1 loaf
Ingredients
- 500g (about 4 cups) bread flour
- 350g (about 1 1/2 cups) water, room temperature
- 100g (about 1/2 cup) active sourdough starter
- 10g (about 2 tsp) salt
Converting between cups and grams? Use the ingredient converter for exact weights.
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the sourdough starter with the water until dissolved.
- Add the flour and salt, mixing until no dry flour remains. Cover and rest for 30 minutes (autolyse).
- Perform 4 sets of stretch-and-folds, spaced 30 minutes apart, to build dough strength.
- Cover and let the dough bulk ferment at room temperature for 6-8 hours, until roughly doubled in size.
- Turn the dough out, shape it into a round boule, and place it seam-side up in a floured proofing basket.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight (8-12 hours) for a slow, flavor-building cold proof.
- The next day, preheat your oven with a Dutch oven inside to 450°F (230°C) for 45 minutes.
- Turn the dough out onto parchment, score the top with a sharp blade, and carefully lower it into the hot Dutch oven.
- Bake covered for 20 minutes, then remove the lid and bake another 20-25 minutes until deeply golden.
- Cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing — this lets the crumb finish setting.