Category: Baking
Yields:
1 Serving
Ingredients
Adjust Servings
Instructions
- Mix flour and water until combined. Let sit, covered, for 30 mins.
- Sprinkle salt and yeast over the dough and mix until incorporated. Fold a quarter of the dough over itself and repeat until the dough gets a little tension. Pinching the dough between your thumb and forefinger like a crab helps to incorporate the salt and yeast. After 2-3 minutes of this, let the dough rest for 2-3 minutes before folding a for another 30 seconds before covering and letting it begin its rise.
- The dough will need 3 folding sessions within the first 1.5 hrs. I usually do 30 seconds of folding every 30 minutes. Use water on your hand to stop the dough from sticking to you.
- After 3 folding sessions (1.5 hrs) it's time to begin the bulk ferment which usually takes about 10.5 to 11 hrs. I usually leave the bowl covered in the oven with the light on to rise overnight.
- After 10.5-11 hrs remove from oven and ensure dough has doubled in size. Preheat the dutch oven to 475 degrees. Dump dough onto floured work surface and fold it over itself 4 times like previously. Flip it over seam side down and shape it into a tight ball.
- Flour a proofing basket and put the ball seam side down into the basket. The seam side will be the top of the loaf by the end.
- Proof for 45min an hour while the dutch oven preheats. When oven to temp, remove dutch oven, flour it, and place the dough into the dutch oven. (the bottom of the dough when its in the basket will be the top when its in the oven.
- Bake for 30 minutes covered and then 15-20 minutes uncovered. You want a nice brown crust all around. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.
Notes
I usually start this recipe around 7pm the night before so that I am baking by 9am the following morning. Rough Timeline: 7:00pm - Autolyse 7:30pm - Mix dough 8:00pm - First fold 8:30pm - Second fold 9:00pm - Third fold and begin bulk ferment 8:00am - Shape dough begin proof and preheat dutch oven 9:00am - Bake covered for 30 minutes 9:30am - Remove lid and bake additional 15-20 minutes 9:45-9-50am - Remove from oven and let cool 10:30 or later - Eat bread