Feeding the Starter

To feed my starter I usually feed at a 1:1:1 ratio, that is, equal amounts of starter, flour, and warm water. What I usually do is transfer 100 grams of starter from the old jar into a new jar, add 100 grams of Costco all purpose flour, and then 100 grams of warm water. I try to feed it every day, but that's not really necessary. I've let it go 4-5 days on my counter unfed and it was fine. Any longer than that and I'll throw it in the fridge where it can last much longer.

I just throw away any discarded starter, but I did find this page of recipes that use sourdough discard and I've been having fun making stuff with my discard instead of just throwing it away.

If I know I'm going to be baking that day I'll usually feed my starter a litle extra flour and water so that I know that I'll have enough to bake with and have some leftover to keep feeding. When I'm baking that day I'll feed the starter around 8 or 9 am, throw it in the oven and turn the oven light on so it can be in a warm environment (Don't turn the oven on), and then when it doubles in size and is nice and bubbly I'll mix the loaf!

Mixing the Dough

To mix the loaf I will add to a medium bowl:

- 475g Flour
- 325g Warm water
- 150g Sourdough starter
- 10g Salt

The dough will be very sticky, so I just mix with my left hand and keep my right hand clean. After I'm done mixing I'll use a spoon in my right hand to scrape off any dough that sticks to my left hand back into the bowl. Then I'll cover the bowl, throw it in the oven with the light on, and let it hydrate for 30 mins before starting my stretch and folds.

Stretch & Folds

After the dough has sat for 30 minutes I do a round of stretch and folds. Rather than explaining how to do a stretch and fold it'd just be simpler to watch this video instead.

I'll usually do around 12 folds in a single round. After a round I'll cover the bowl and pop in back it the oven (still off with light on). After 30 minutes I'll do another round of stretch and folds and repeat the process until I've done 3 rounds of stretch and folds and then I'll let it sit in the oven and bulk ferment for a couple hours.

Bulk Fermentation

I keep my house pretty chilly, so the promote a good rise I'll do my bulk ferment with the bowl covered in the oven with the light on. You just let it sit for a couple of hours until it has about doubled in size. I've gotten the best success with letting it sit for about 3 hours after the last round of stretch and folds and about 6 hours after the initial mix.

Shaping

Once it's done bulk fermenting I will pre-shape the dough to form it into a nice tight ball with some surface tension. Again, here's a good video that explains the process

After I've preshaped I'll throw some flour on the top of the loaf and place it in the bread banneton (a regular bowl works fine too). Place it in the bowl with the smooth, floured side down and the seam facing up. Cover the bowl and throw it in the fridge to proof overnight!

Cold Proof

I usually let it sit the the fridge for about 12-14 hours as I can't wait much longer to make the loaf. But it can sit for much longer, up to 3 days I've read.

Baking

When I'm ready to start baking I'll preheat the oven to 500 degrees with the dutch oven inside.

After the oven and the dutch oven have been getting hot for about an hour I'll take my loaf out of the fridge, lay out some parchement paper, and flip the loaf onto the parchement paper.

Next I'll score the bread using a razor blade, depending on how artistic I'm feeling will determine how fancy of a design I make, either way you want at least one long gash so that the loaf can expand better.

After I'm done scoring I'll take the dutch oven out, take the lid off (remember the lid will be hot! Use hot pads! Yes I'm speaking from experience!) and place the parchment paper with the loaf inside the dutch oven and cover it with the lid. With my loaves I've experienced burning on the bottom of the crust, so to mitigate this I'll throw a cookie sheet on the rack onder the dutch oven to deflect some of the upward heat.

Bake the loaf at 500 degrees for 20 minutes, then remove the lid of the dutch oven and reduce the temperature to 475 and bake until it has reached desired golden brown crispiness! (Usually 20-25 minutes)

Reigning Champion

Below is my current best loaf, I've tracked as much data as possible to gain some insight into my baking process.