• 500 g bread flour

• 325 g water

• 100 g active sourdough starter

• 10 g salt

Instructions:
The following are basic instructions on how to hand-mix the dough for a classic sourdough loaf. This includes the average flour, water, starter, and salt quantities.

1. In a large bowl, mix the starter, water, and flour into a shaggy dough. Gloves are convenient at this stage, but not required.

2. Let the dough rest in the bowl covered with a damp towel or plastic wrap for about 1 hour.

3. Add salt to the dough and mix for 5 to 7 minutes. You want to continue mixing until the dough forms into a uniform unit.

4. Let the dough rest in the bowl for 30 minutes, covered. Our preference is to cover the bowl with plastic wrap or the container's lid.

5. Do stretch-and-folds every 30 minutes for about 2 hours.

6. Bulk ferment for 4 to 6 hours. Fermentation starts the moment the starter is added to the dough mix, and it will be affected by the room's temperature.

7. When the dough has bulk fermented, it will have a cloud-like texture; it will be jiggly, and small bubbles will have formed on the dough surface. A few signs that will help you identify that the dough has reached its peak point are that the dough will pull clean from the bowl/container sides, it will slowly bounce back when poked, and it will have a domed shape.

8. Place the dough on a flat surface, pre-shape, and let it sit covered with a towel for 20 minutes.

9. Then, shape the dough to place it in the banneton. You can shape it into a round shape by turning it and gently pulling it toward you to create surface tension. Alternatively, you can shape the dough into an oval shape by gently stretching the dough sides, folding the dough sides on themselves, and rolling the dough into a cylinder shape, pinching its sides to ensure there are no openings.

10. Place the dough in a paper-towel-lined container or banneton, covered with another paper towel, and finally covered with plastic; disposable shower caps work great for this.

11. Place the dough in the refrigerator and cold proof for 8 to 24 hours.

12. To bake the loaf, place the dough on parchment paper in a Dutch oven or roasting pan, score it with a razor or sharp knife, and bake it at 450°F for 20 minutes, covered. You can add a couple of ice cubes under the parchment paper to create extra steam.

13. You must score the dough to avoid the dough bursting while baking. The score can be made in the center or on the side of the dough, about 1/4 inch deep, and at an angle.

14. Remove the lid and bake for another 20 minutes.

15. Remove the loaf and place it on a cooling rack, and let it cool for at least 1 hour before slicing. Ideally, wait 2 hours before slicing, as the loaf will continue baking after being taken out of the oven.

Storage

For storage, freezing, thawing, and refreshing your loaf, visit our Storage & Refresh Tips page.