By: Joanne Paradis
Step 1 – feed your starter Add 100g of flour and 70g of room-temperature filtered water to 20-30g of starter: Mix well: Stir or knead with a spoon or your hands until everything is fully incorporated. The mixture will be dough-like, not pourable. Put it in a straight-sided glass container such as a canning jar and cover loosely (lid on but not tight), mark the level so you can track its rise. Ferment: Let it rest at room temperature (ideally 75–80°) until it doubles or triples in size — usually 4–8 hours depending on temperature.
Step 2 – Pour 165g of starter that has not been fed for a few days into a large bowl. Add 400g of water. Stir well and let sit for one-half hour. Mix in 650g of Bread Flour or Unbleached All Purpose (I use Kirkland Organic AP) and 15g of salt. Let it sit on the counter, covered 3-12 hours, depending on the temperature of your house. To speed up the process, put it in the microwave or oven and leave the light on. Once it has doubled in size and has bubbles on the top, dump it onto the counter and shape it into a tight ball. Great Tutorials on YouTube! I place mine in a banneton and refrigerate overnight. This is optional for a stronger flavor. Take it out of the refrigerator, flip it onto parchment paper. Score with a sharp knife (allows the bread to expand in the oven). Place bread in a Dutch oven and put it in the cold oven. Put a cookie sheet on one rack below to prevent over-browning. Set to 450, cook covered for 1 hour. Take the cover off, lower to 425, cook an additional 10-15 minutes till browned. Let cool for a couple of hours, slice, and enjoy
