How To Make Artisan Sourdough Bread

• Add water and sourdough starter to a large mixing bowl.
• Whisk the water and sourdough starter together until it looks cloudy.
• Add the all-purpose flour and mix with your hands or a dough whisk until no dry spots remain. The dough will look shaggy.
• Cover bowl with a tea towel and let rest for 20-30 minutes on your counter.
• Sprinkle the salt over the dough and gently work it in by pinching and folding until incorporated.
• After the salt is incorporated into the dough, then we start stretch and folds.

Stretch and Fold – Over the next 2-1/2 hours, perform 3-4 stretch-and-folds (every 30-40 minutes).

• Uncover the bowl and with slightly wet hands, lift the dough by stretching it up (without tearing it) then fold it over to the center.
• Rotate the bowl a quarter of a turn and repeat until all four sides have been stretched and folded.
• Cover bowl with a tea towel and let the dough rest for 30-40 minutes at room temperature, ideally in a warm spot. Repeat this three more times.

  The dough will become smoother, stronger and a little puffy with each fold.
• After the last stretch and fold, cover bowl with a tea towel and let rest for 30-60 minutes at room temperature until slightly puffy before shaping. We are looking for visible air bubbles and a little jiggle to the dough. (Dough does not need to double in size.)
• Generously flour (rice flour) a Banneton (proofing basket) or line a large bowl with a tea towel and flour generously, especially the grooves, if you’re not using the liner. You can rub it into the basket with your hands to really get it in there. (I used a liner in my Banneton basket, but you don’t have to, especially if you like the pretty rings you get by using the Banneton.) Tap out the excess flour.

Shape the dough into a boule (round loaf).

• Turn dough out and onto a lightly floured (rice flour) cutting board.
• Fold the bottom edge up to the middle.
• Fold the left side over the right, about two-thirds across.
• Fold the right side over the left, about two-thirds across.
• Fold the top edge down to meet the middle.
• Flip the dough over so the seam is on the counter. Cup your hands around the dough and gently pull it towards you in a circular motion, creating surface tension by dragging the dough slightly on the board.
• Rotate and repeat a few times until it feels taut. (It doesn’t have to be perfect. As long as it is roughly round, it will bake up nicely. You’ve got this!)
• Place your shaped dough seam side up (ugly side up) directly into the basket or lined bowl.
• Cover your basket with plastic wrap and a tea towel and place into a plastic bag. (Not pictured.)
• Refrigerate for 8-12 hours, or overnight.

Bake

• Preheat oven with Dutch oven (covered) inside to 475°F for 30-45 minutes.
• Dust dough with rice flour again.
• Using a lame or a razor blade, hold at a slight angle and gently score the surface of the dough with a quick motion.

  I do one large horizontal line and then one vertical. This helps the bread to expand in the oven.

  Then you can do some pretty designs of your choice if you want to. You can use your imagination or there are plenty of ideas online.
• When your oven and Dutch oven are preheated, remove the Dutch oven. I like to add some uncooked rice to the bottom of mine to keep the bread from getting too brown on the bottom. Carefully lift the parchment and drop your dough into the Dutch oven.
• Cover Dutch oven and bake for 25 minutes. Then remove the lid and bake 15-20 minutes more, until the bread is a deep golden brown. (I use a digital thermometer and remove my bread when the temperature reaches 205-210°F. See hint below for temperature guidelines.)

  If you think your bread is getting too dark, you can place a foil tent over the Dutch oven.
• Remove bread from oven. Let bread cool in Dutch oven for 10 minutes and then carefully remove and cool for 1 hour on a cooling grid.
• Using a bread knife or a serrated knife, slice bread into 8 even slices (you can slice more or less, depending on how thin or thick you like your bread) using a gentle sawing motion, holding the loaf steady, but not pressing down.
• Enjoy!

Hint

• Depending how you prefer your bread, here are some guidelines for the internal temperature. (If your bread is browning too fast, you can lower the temperature 10-15°F during the bake, or cover loosely with foil for the last 10-15 minutes.)

  Fully baked: 205-210°F

  Soft, lighter crust: aim closer to 200-205°F

  Very firm, classic artisan crust: closer to 210°F