The process
Seventy-two hours, start to slice.
Sourdough is less a recipe but more a labor of love. From start to finish, the entire process takes over 3 days with only 4 ingredients. The labor is shown through the big belly, exposed ear, blistered crust, and the beautiful open crumb.
Nothing here is scaled up or rushed. I bake in small batches out of my micro bakery cottage kitchen so I can taste, adjust, and actually watch the dough.
Feed the starter
Morning of day one, the starter gets flour and water and about six hours to double. It should smell like yogurt and green apples, never like acetone.
Mix & autolyse
Flour and water rest together first so the flour fully hydrates. Salt and starter go in after, and the dough sits covered while the gluten organizes itself.
Bulk ferment & fold
Four to six hours at room temperature with a set of stretch-and-folds every half hour. This is where strength and those big open pockets are built.
Shape & cold retard
Pre-shape, bench rest, final shape into a banneton, then twelve to eighteen hours in the fridge. The cold slows the yeast and lets the sour flavor deepen.
Score & bake
Straight from the fridge into a screaming hot dutch oven. Lid on for steam and oven spring, lid off to build that deep mahogany crust.
Cool completely
The loaf is still cooking as it cools. Cutting early gums the crumb, so it rests at least two hours on a rack before it goes in your hands.
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