Preparing the Dough

• Feed your starter 4 to 8 hours before you wish to make your dough. Take 25 grams of your active starter and mix it with 50 grams of bread flour and 50 grams of water. Let the mixture rise on the counter for 4 to 8 hours or until it has doubled in size.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine water, active sourdough starter and salt. Stir until the starter and salt have dissolved. Then add the flour on top of the wet ingredients. Stir the dough into the water until a lumpy dough forms without any dry bits of flour remaining. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
• Now give the dough a set of stretch and folds. Grab the top part of the dough and fold it over towards the bottom. Then fold the bottom up towards the top, then fold the right over to the left and the left over the right. Cover the dough and let it rest for another 30 minutes. Repeat the stretch and fold process until you’ve completed three sets with 30 minutes of rest in between. After the third set let the dough rise for 3 to 6 hours. You want your dough to have doubled in size.
• Once the dough has doubled in size and jiggles a little when you shake the bowl, its time to shape the dough. Shape the dough into a smooth ball, cover with a tea towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Baking

• 30 minutes before baking preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Place a cake pan on the bottom rack, as this will act as a steam tray later on.
• If you have proofed your dough for 2 hours you can score it using a bread lame or razor blade before baking. If your dough has proofed for longer (3 to 4 hours) there’s no need to score it.
• Slide your loaf pan into the middle of the center rack of your oven and pour some hot water into the steam pan. This will accumulate steam into your oven during the first half of the bake. Close the oven door and let the dough bake for 20 minutes.
• After 20 minutes lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Remove the steam tray from the oven and let the bread continue to bake for 20 to 30 minutes, till the internal temperature of the bread reaches 190 degrees.
• Once your sourdough bread baked, remove it from the oven and slide the bread out of the bread pan. Transfer it to a wire rack for at least one hour before slicing.