The recipe has kinda evolved over time, so it’s a mismash of metric and imperial measurements. Apologies in advance.
Sourdough Rustic Loaf
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50g starter
50g water
50g AP flour (I like King Arthur brand)
Combine well in a large bowl. Cover and leave on countertop overnight. You can skip this step if the starter has recently been fed - just use 150g of fed starter instead.
Starter should be bubbly and smell yeasty before proceeding.
Next morning, add:
1-1/4 cups water
1 lb AP flour
1 tsp salt
Stir with wooden spoon to combine. Knead 6-8 times in the bowl to consolidate and cover bowl with plastic wrap.
Let rise about four hours, “pulling” the dough ball at the 1 and 2 hour mark to refine the crumb. Dough should double in size.
Preheat oven and a 10” (or 12”) Dutch oven with lid for 30 mins @425.
While oven heats up, turn out dough on floured cutting board (or countertop), and gently shape into a ball. Don’t punch down, don’t knead heavily - just cup dough ball with hands and tuck in the bottom, rounding up the sides.
Optional: brush with egg and sprinkle on 1-2 tsp Za’ataar seasoning for a cool look and nice - albeit non-traditional - flavor. @childofthehorn introduced me to this most excellent addition.
Optional: instead, sprinkling on some flour before cutting also adds visual interest (no egg wash needed).
Score top of loaf with razor blade/lame or sharp knife. I usually just do an X, but a crescent cut or carving in fancy leaves is an option. Cutting a little deeper allows “ears” to develop as it bakes. Don’t skip this step: cutting these grooves allows for a bigger rise while it cooks - they act as expansion joints.
Remove hot Dutch oven from oven, remove lid, drop in dough, replace lid and return to oven.
(No anti-stick oil/spray/parchment paper/etc needed: the hot pan will dry the bottom of the loaf immediately and it wont stick).
Bake 30 min with lid on, then remove lid and bake and additional 15-20 min, or until desired color achieved. Thumping the loaf at this point should sound hollow. When in doubt, give it a few more minutes to avoid a gummy interior.
Tip out onto cooling rack: enjoy the snap, crackle, pop as the bread cools.
Eating warm bread with butter is awesome, but let it cool at least 15 min before slicing, as the carryover heat will continue to cook the loaf for a bit after removal from the oven.
