Classic Artisan Loaf
Beautiful, crunchy, delicious.
This is the perfect recipe for beginners and experienced bakers alike.
Makes 1 Loaf | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Rest/Rise Time: 12-48 hours | Cook Time: 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS
50g active starter
325g water
475g bread flour
1.5tsp salt
Mix the dough. Add active starter and warm water to a bowl and mix until cloudy and well combined. Next, add flour and salt. Mix together with your hands or a dough whisk until a shaggy dough forms. (Your bulk ferment time starts now.)
Rest. Immediately cover the bowl with plastic wrap, a damp towel or a lid and allow the dough to rest at room temperature for one hour.
Stretch and folds. After the dough has rested for an hour, begin four sets of stretch and folds, 30 minutes apart. Take the dough in your hands, stretch it as high into the air as it will go and fold it over itself into the middle of the dough ball. Turn the bowl and quarter turn and repeat this three more times, grabbing all sides of the dough and stretching them up and back into the middle of the dough.
Bulk fermentation. Allow your dough to rise, covered, at room temperature for about 7 hours. Depending on the temperature of your home, it could be anywhere from 6-10 hours. You’re looking for a 50%-75% rise; learn more about that here.
Shape. After your dough has risen during bulk fermentation, it’s time to shape the dough. Lightly flour the surface of your counter and turn the dough out. Create a ball out of your dough: to do this, pull it into a flat square or rectangle. Fold it into three equal pieces, folding both side sections into the middle section. You will end up with a long rectangle. Grab a short side and begin rolling it up, eventually forming a tight ball. Once in a ball, gently spin the dough and pull towards you at the same time - this creates surface tension. Transfer the dough, seam side up, to a floured banneton or a bowl lined with a tea towel. (This is important! Dough will stick to the surface without a towel.)
Cold retard. While optional, this is suggested. After shaping your dough and placing into a bowl or banneton, cover with a lid or plastic wrap and place into the fridge for 12-48 hours. If you choose to skip this step, leave your dough in the bowl or banneton covered on the counter for 1-2 hours before baking to allow a second rise.
Score and bake. Pre-heat the oven to 450˚F. While the oven is pre-heating, place the dough into the freezer until the oven has finished pre-heating. This firms up the dough to make for easy scoring. Finally, turn the dough out onto a bread sling or parchment paper and score. Place parchment paper or bread sling into a dutch oven and bake with the lid on for 30 minutes. At 30 minutes, remove the lid and continue baking for another 15 minutes with the lid off. Your loaf is fully cooked through when the internal temperature reaches 205-210˚F.
Cool. Allow bread to cool for 1-2 hours as the dough will continue to cook internally during the cooling process.
Sample Baker’s Schedule
9pm: Feed starter and allow it to rise overnight. (If you have a super healthy starter and it doubles quickly, you can slow this process down by feeding it more flour than water, resulting in a thicker consistency. This gives it more to eat which takes longer for it to fully rise. Also, place it in the coolest spot in your home which will slow down the rising process.)
7am: Mix your dough. (Remember, bulk fermenting time starts now!)
8am: Begin stretch and folds.
10am: Leave covered on the counter for 7-10 hours for bulk rise/ferment. (This will be different for each baker and each home. It’s crucial that you keep an eye on the dough to watch the amount it’s risen and the texture/consistency.)
6pm: Shape your dough and place into floured banneton. Place banneton in the fridge overnight for cold retard OR leave banneton on the counter and allow the dough to rise a second time for 1-2 hours before baking.
