Sourdough Artisan Loaf

🧂 Ingredients

• 50 g Sourdough Starter

  Fed and Active
• 350 g Water
• 500 g Flour

  Bread or Plain
• 9 g Salt

Instructions

• 1 First, feed your starter.
• 2 Let sit for 4 to 6 hours until it hits it peak rise and is at its more active
  stage. 
• 3 In a large bowl add 50g sourdough starter, 350g water, 500g flour and 9g salt. 
• 4 Mix with a dough whisk until all is combined.
• 5 Cover with a tea towel for 1 hour.
• 6 Stretch and fold. Cover for 30 minutes.
• 7 Stretch and fold. Cover for 30 minutes.
• 8 Stretch and fold. Cover for 30 minutes.
• 9 To complete a stretch and fold, grab the top portion of the dough with both
  hands and gently pull it up, stretching it without tearing it. Fold this over
  the opposite edge. Rotate the bowl 180˚ and repeat. Rotate the bowl 90˚ and
  repeat, and then rotate the bowl another 90˚ and repeat. Gently lift the whole
  dough and round it in the bowl. This entire process is known as one stretch and
  fold.
  
  At the beginning, the dough will be quick slack and not stretch that much. As
  more stretches are done and time has passed, you will notice that it builds more
  strength and will stretch further. 
  
  If you find that your dough is getting hard to stretch stop performing the
  stretches. The whole purpose of performing these stretches is to strengthen the
  dough, but if your dough is already strong enough, it doesn't need it.
  
  You may want to dip your hands lightly in water if you find that the dough is
  sticking to your hands. Just be careful not to add too much water to the dough.
• 10 Bulk Ferment for 4 to 8 hours depending on the climate you live in. The dough
  should be increased in volume by at least 50%.
• 11 This can be hard to judge and it completely depends on the temperature of your
  kitchen. At the end of the bulk fermentation, the dough should be well aerated.
  There will be many bubbles on the surface as well as near the edges of the bowl.
  The dough also should have rounded edges. If it is flat, it is most likely due
  to it not having enough strength built through the stretches and folds.
• 12 Shape the dough and place into a bowl and cover.
• 13 Rest on the counter for another hour.
• 14 Place the dough onto a clean countertop. The dough may be sticky. Using a bench
  dough scraper, gently shape the dough into a round, by pulling it gently towards
  you. As you do this, it will create some surface tension and strength. Continue
  to pick up the dough, place in further back on the bench and gently pull it
  forwards. 
  
  Before placing the dough into a banneton, lightly sprinkle it with rice flour.
  
  Dust the shaped dough with rice flour and flip it over, placing it in the
  banneton with the seam side up. Cover and allow to rest.
• 15 Place in the fridge for 10-12 hours or overnight.
• 16 After proofing, to make sure that your dough is ready to bake, you can try using
  the poke test.
  
  Wot do this, press your finger lightly into the dough. A properly proofed dough
  should spring back very slowly, still leaving a small indentation. 
  
  If it springs back quickly and fully, it is under-proofed.
  
  If the dough doesn't compress at all or spring back, then it is over-proofed.
• 17 Preheat a Dutch oven to 230˚C/450˚F.
• 18 Score the top of the dough. 
• 19 Place the dough in a Dutch oven that has been lined with baking paper. 
• 20 Bake the sourdough for 30 minutes with the lid on.
• 21 Remove the lid and decrease the temperature to 210˚C / 410˚F and bake for a
  further 10 to 15 minutes. The internal temperature should be 94˚C/200˚F.
• 22 Allow the bread to cool for at least 3 hours before slicing.

Nutrition Info