Sourdough Table Loaf

Ingredients

• 100 g fed sourdough starter (levain)
• 330 g warm water
• 137 g bread flour
• 250 g all-purpose flour (avoid bleached and enriched)
• 87 g rye or whole wheat flour
• 7 g sea salt

Method

Dissolve your fed levain into warm water, then add all three flours. Mix until no dry flour remains — the dough will be slack and sticky. Rest for 30 minutes. This autolyse period allows the flour to fully hydrate and begins gluten organisation without mechanical work.

Sprinkle salt over the dough and wet your hands. Begin stretch-and-fold work: grab one side of the dough, stretch it up and fold it over the centre, rotate the bowl 90 degrees, repeat. Work around the bowl four times per session. The dough will feel like wet porridge at first — this is correct at 68% hydration. Add water drops only if the dough tears rather than stretches; you're aiming for suppleness, not smoothness. Perform four to five sets of stretch-and-folds over 2 to 2.5 hours, resting 25–30 minutes between each.

Watch for the surface to dome slightly and small bubbles to cluster at the edges — this signals sufficient bulk-fermentation and gluten development. The windowpane test confirms readiness: pinch a small piece and stretch it thin enough to see light through without tearing. If it shreds, ferment another 20 minutes.

Turn the dough onto a flour-heavy surface. Perform a pre-shape: fold two opposite sides to centre, then top and bottom to centre. Rest 15 minutes uncovered, then final-shape by rolling the dough away from you into tension. Place seam-side up in a banneton or flour-lined bowl, dust generously with flour to prevent sticking.

Cold-fermentation develops flavour and makes handling easier. Refrigerate 12–24 hours; beyond 24 hours the sourness becomes aggressive and the dough's structure weakens. Remove from cold storage and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes — the dough should feel taut with gentle spring-back when prodded.

Preheat your oven to 245°C with a Dutch oven inside. Turn the loaf seam-side down onto a sheet of baking paper. Score the top with a razor blade at a 45-degree angle, 5 cm deep — this controls where the bread expands and creates the characteristic ear. Transfer to the preheated Dutch oven, cover, and bake 15 minutes. Remove the lid, reduce heat to 220°C, and bake a further 25–30 minutes until the crust is deep mahogany and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the base. Cool completely before slicing — the crumb sets as it cools.