Bake & Provisions · Bread
A weekday sourdough schedule
This is the loaf we actually bake on a Tuesday, not the one that requires you to be home all day. The dough does its long work overnight and in the refrigerator; you only need to be present for about twenty minutes of it, in short visits.
Step by step
Step 1
Morning, before work — feed the starter
Feed at a 1:2:2 ratio and leave it on the counter. In a cold Maine kitchen it may want eight hours to peak; on top of the refrigerator is warmer than the counter and helps in winter.
Step 2
5:30 pm — mix and rest
Whisk the starter into the water, add the flour, mix to a shaggy dough with no dry flour left. Cover. Rest 45 minutes. This is the autolyse and it does the kneading for you.
Step 3
6:15 pm — add the salt
Sprinkle the salt over with a splash of water and squeeze it through the dough until it stops feeling gritty. The dough will loosen, then come back together.
Step 4
6:30 to 8:30 pm — four sets of folds
Every 30 minutes, wet one hand, lift one side of the dough up and fold it over the middle; turn the bowl a quarter and repeat four times. Two minutes of work per set. By the last set the dough should feel smooth and hold its shape a little.
Step 5
8:30 to 10:00 pm — finish the bulk rise
Leave covered until the dough has risen roughly 50 percent and shows a few bubbles on top and at the edges. In a 65°F kitchen this is slow; watch the dough, not the clock. If your kitchen is under 62°F, put the bowl in the oven with only the light on.
Step 6
10:00 pm — shape and refrigerate
Turn out onto a lightly floured counter, fold into a tight round, let it sit seam-down for ten minutes, then shape again with tension. Place seam-up in the floured banneton, cover, and put it in the refrigerator.
Step 7
Next day — bake cold, straight from the fridge
Heat the oven and the covered Dutch oven to 500°F for 45 minutes. Turn the cold loaf out onto parchment, score deeply at a shallow angle, lower it in, lid on. Bake 20 minutes at 500°F covered, then drop to 450°F, uncover, and bake 20–25 minutes more until deep brown.
Step 8
Cool completely before you cut it
At least two hours on a rack. The crumb is still setting; cutting early gives you a gummy loaf and a fair amount of regret.
If it goes sideways
A flat loaf usually means the bulk rise went too long — go by rise and feel, not hours, and pull it earlier next time. A dense, tight crumb means the opposite: the starter was not lively or the kitchen was too cold. A pale crust means the oven was not preheated long enough; 45 minutes is not negotiable. The dough keeps happily in the refrigerator for up to 36 hours, so you can push the bake a day if life gets in the way.
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