Directions

1. Feed your starter. Refresh your starter with the Founder’s Blend Flour 8 to 12 hours before you mix the dough. Stir until no lumps remain, cover loosely with a lid, and let it ferment for 8 to 12 hours. The starter should at least double in size when it’s ready, and it will smell fragrant and yogurt-like.

2. Mix the dough. Stir the water and salt together in a large bowl. Add the starter and break it up with your fingers or a whisk until the water appears milky. Add the flour and mix by hand or with a dough whisk, squeezing until no lumps remain. Clean down the sides of the bowl with a bowl scraper and pull the dough toward the middle. It will feel soft and silky, and look shaggy and pasty at this stage.

3. Bulk ferment. Cover and set aside to rest at room temperature (75–80°F) for 20 minutes. Perform stretch-and-folds every 20 minutes for the first hour, then every 30 to 45 minutes for 2 more hours. To perform a stretch-and-fold, wet your hand and release one side of the dough from the bowl. Gently stretch it 3 to 4 inches and fold it over toward the center. Rotate the bowl and repeat, working your way around the dough until you return to the first fold. The dough will progress from a shaggy mass to a smooth, bouncy dough with bubbles appearing across the surface as it ferments and is repeatedly folded, with rests in between.

4. Pre-shape. Dust your work surface with flour and set two 9-inch proofing baskets, lined with a tea towel, to the side. Use your bowl scraper to transfer the dough to the floured surface, being careful not to pull or tear it. Using a bench knife, divide the dough in half. With floured hands, arrange each piece into a rectangle running vertically to your body. Perform a letter fold: fold the top third toward the middle, then fold the bottom third up to overlap, pinching the seam closed if it wants to pop open. Rotate the dough 180 degrees and perform a triangle fold: fold the top 2 to 3 inches toward the middle, then overlap with the two sides to form a triangle tip. Finish with a tuck-and-roll: roll from the top down the length of the dough until the seam is on the bottom, then pinch the ends and tuck them under. Set aside to relax for about 15 minutes. Repeat with the second piece of dough.

5. Final shape. Use your bench knife to turn the first pre-shaped dough over. Perform a triangle fold: fold the top 2 to 3 inches toward the middle, then overlap with the two sides to form a triangle tip. Then perform a tuck-and-roll; this time tucking more intentionally with your thumbs to build tension as you roll the loaf until the seam is on the bottom. Dust the top well with flour, then use your bench knife to tuck it into the seam, sealing the loaf and releasing it from the work surface. Turn it over in your hands and cradle it into the basket, seam side up, pinching the seam closed if necessary. Repeat with the second loaf.

6. Cold proof. Cover the loaves with bowl covers or dry tea towels, then place them in a reusable plastic bag. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or up to 16, to develop flavor. The longer the cold proof, the more pronounced the sourdough flavor; though this dough won’t hold much beyond that window before it needs to bake.

7. Warm up and proof. The next day, remove the loaves from the refrigerator and let them proof at a warm room temperature until puffy, with gases visibly trapped just under the surface. The loaves may be ready to bake straight from the fridge, or may need up to 3 hours, depending on the health of your starter and the temperature of your kitchen and refrigerator. When one loaf is almost proofed, place the other back in the refrigerator to hold until it’s ready to bake.

8. Preheat and score. About 30 minutes before the first loaf is ready to bake, preheat a Dutch oven, or a baking steel topped with a baking dome, on the middle rack to 500°F. Cut a piece of parchment paper about 3 to 4 inches longer and wider than your proofing basket, or use a silicone bread baking mat. Turn the loaf out onto the parchment or mat, dusting lightly with flour if you like and rubbing it gently into the top for an even layer. Using a bread lame, score the loaf 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep along its length, halfway or three-quarters of the way across. This is where the loaf will open and bloom in the oven as steam and gases escape. Add decorative cuts if desired.

9. Bake. Using heavy-duty oven mitts or pads, remove the Dutch oven and set it on a sturdy rack or trivet. Remove the lid and use the parchment rim or mat handles to carefully lower the loaf in. Replace the lid and return the Dutch oven to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 475°F and bake for another 20 minutes. (If you have a gas oven with the flame on the bottom, or your loaves tend to burn before they’re done, adjust the schedule: after removing the lid and lowering the temperature, bake for about 7 minutes to set the crust, then carefully lift the loaf out by the parchment or mat and finish baking directly on the middle rack for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until it reaches your desired crust color.) The loaf is done when it’s a deep, golden brown and sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom.

10. Cool and repeat. Remove the loaf from the Dutch oven and let it cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before slicing. Repeat with the second loaf.

Storage

Store in a fabric bread bag at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in a beeswax-coated fabric for up to 5, toasting as desired. Or slice and freeze in a bag for up to a month, pulling out individual slices to toast whenever the craving hits.

Notes for Baker

• Founder’s Blend leans on a sprinkling of Malted White Sonora Wheat that makes a huge difference in the dough's behavior. It kickstarts fermentation with extra vigor and helps the crust bronze into that deep, crackling gold. Because this dough moves quickly and rewards a baker who can read it by feel, we’ve built this recipe for our seasoned bakers, those who’ve shaped and baked at least 10 loaves and have a sense of when dough is telling you it’s ready, not just what the clock says.

• If your kitchen runs hotter than the fermentation and proofing temperatures below, your dough will move faster than the times listed. Keep an eye on the dough rather than the clock. Trust what you see and feel over the minutes on the page.

Makes 2 loaves

Recipe contributed by Sarah Owens.