Sourdough Bread

For the starter

1. Mix the old starter, whole-grain flour, and water in a small jar until smooth.

2. Cover loosely and let ferment at room temperature until bubbling, doubled in volume, and smelling sweetly sour, 8–12 hours.

   Then 480 min of waiting

   Whole-grain flour speeds up fermentation due to the natural wild yeast spores on the grain hull.

For the dough

3. Mix the bread flour, water, 50 g of active starter, and the salt in a large bowl for 2–3 minutes until fully combined and no dry flour remains.

   This fermentolyse method skips a separate autolyse step by mixing all ingredients at once with a low starter percentage.

4. Cover the container and let the dough rest.

   Then 15 min of waiting

5. Knead the dough gently in the bowl for 2–3 minutes to build initial gluten strength.

6. Cover and let rest again.

   Then 15 min of waiting

7. Perform a quick final knead or windowpane test until the dough is smooth and cohesive.

8. Remove 10–20 g of dough and place it into a tiny sample jar alongside the main bowl to serve as an aliquot sample to monitor volume expansion.

   An aliquot sample lets you precisely track volume expansion without disturbing or deflating the main bulk dough.

9. Allow the dough to bulk ferment at room temperature until the aliquot sample shows roughly a 25% increase in volume and the dough smells noticeably sour.

   Then 240 min of waiting

   Do not rely solely on time; watch for a 25% size rise, visible side bubbles, and a pleasantly sour scent.

10. Dust the top of the dough lightly with flour, turn it out onto an unfloured work surface, and shape it tightly into a round or oval loaf.

    Only apply flour to the dough during final shaping so it holds its structure without sticking to hands or proofing baskets.

11. Place the shaped dough top-down into a flour-dusted proofing basket, seal in a plastic bag, and place into the refrigerator to cold-proof overnight.

    Then 720 min of waiting

    Cold proofing in the fridge slows fermentation down, giving you full control over when to bake while deepening complex flavors.

12. Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) with a Dutch oven or baking stone inside, placing an empty metal tray on the bottom rack for steam.

    Then 45 min of waiting

13. Turn the cold dough out onto parchment paper, score the top with a sharp razor or knife, and transfer into the oven.

14. Add boiling water into the bottom steam tray (or cover the Dutch oven lid) and bake with high steam for 30 minutes.

    Then 30 min of waiting

    Maximum steam for the first 30 minutes keeps the crust soft so the loaf achieves maximum oven spring and interior fluffiness.

15. Remove the steam tray (or Dutch oven lid) and continue baking dry until the crust is deep golden brown and crisp, 15 minutes.

    Then 15 min of waiting

16. Transfer the baked bread to a wire cooling rack and wait at least 1 hour before slicing.

    Then 60 min of waiting

    Slicing warm bread causes moisture to escape and tears the delicate crumb structure before it sets properly.

17. Check your sliced bread's crumb structure: large isolated tunnels mean underfermentation, while flat loaves with dense, small pockets indicate overfermentation or weak flour.