King Arthur's Naturally Leavened Sourdough Bread +*

Yield: 1 loaf

Time

• 6-8 hours to activate the starter
• 6 hours to make and shape dough
• 30 - 40 minutes to bake

Ingredients

Baking-ready starter

• 77g sourdough starter  (←113g)
• 77g all-Purpose Flour OR whole wheat flour (←113g)
• 77g filtered water*1 at room temperature (←113g)

Sourdough bread

• 225 g baking-ready starter made using ingredients above (←227 g)
• 300g all-purpose flour  (←301 g)
• 42g whole wheat flour  (←42 g)
• 190 ml (add 5ml if too hard) room-temperature water  (←198 ml)
• 1 1/4 tsp salt

Directions - Getting the starter active (6 to 8 hours)

1. Mix sourdough starter, all purpose and water. Leave it in room temperature for 6 to 8 hours, until it ...
   - doubles in size
   - appears bubbly (you see bubbles breaking on the surface) and vigorous, with a sharp, clean aroma
   - feels somewhat elastic to the touch
   
   If you see some faint creases in the top; lots of foamy bubbles, and the starter's surface appears to be slightly concave rather than slightly domed, you'll know it's just barely past its prime. But don't let that stop you; it's still fine to bake with.

Directions - Making the dough and shaping into a scored boule ( 6 hours )

1. Combine the starter, flours, and water in a Kitchen Aid metal bowl and mix well, until all of the flour is moistened and the dough has formed a cohesive mass. Add extra water or flour if needed to form a soft, sticky dough.
2. Cover the dough and let it autolyse*2, or rest, for 20 minutes. 
3. Sprinkle in the salt. Knead with Kitchen Aid for 2 minutes at Speed 2, or by hand until it's smooth and supple, though still somewhat soft and tacky. 
4. Cover the bowl, and let it rise for 1 hour.
5. Give the dough a fold: Turn it out onto a floured surface and, using a bowl scraper or bench knife, fold it like a business letter. Turn the dough 90 degrees. Gently flatten it a bit, and repeat the letter fold. 
6. Return the dough to the bowl, cover, and let it rise for 1 hour.
7. [optional] If dividing the dough to make smaller boules etc, divide it and let it rest for 20 minutes.
8. Shape the dough into a tight round, and place it seam side up in a bowl lined with floured cloth, or on a cloth couche. Cover and let rise until light and airy, about 2 to 3 hours.
9. Just before putting the loaf into the oven, when the loaf is risen and the oven is ready, gently turn it out of its bowl onto...
   - parchment, if baking with regular oven with baking stone,
   - parchment-lined (or lightly greased) baking sheet, if baking with regular oven without baking stone,
   - a pizza silpat placed on a pizza pan, if baking with Breville smart oven
10. Score*3 or slash the loaf with a sharp knife or lame. 

Directions - Preparing oven and baking ( 30 to 40 minutes)

If using regular oven and baking stone [optional]:

1. About 60 minutes before the bread is ready to bake, preheat the oven with a baking stone in it [optional] to 450 F (230 C). For the best crust, place an empty cast iron frying pan on the oven rack below the stone to preheat.
2. Few minutes before baking, boil 1 cup of water.
3. To bake, slide the parchment directly onto the stone in the oven. If you're not using a stone, place the baking sheet in the oven. 
4. Immediately pour 1boiling water into the cast iron frying pan *4. Be sure to wear good oven mitts to prevent steam burns.
5. Bake the bread until it's crusty and golden, about 35 to 40 minutes. 
6. Remove the loaves from the oven and cool on a rack before slicing.

If using Breville smart oven and a Staub pot:

1. About 10 minutes before the bread is ready to bake, preheat the Breville smart oven to 450 F (230 C), placing 4-qt. Staub pot upside down on the bottom rack.
2. Right before placing the loaf into oven, after scoring, generously spray water on dough.
3. Remove the Staub pot from the oven and place it over the dough (pot is upside down). Place the baking sheet with Staub pot in oven. *5
4. Bake for 15 minutes.
5. Remove the baking sheet with Staub pot. Remove the pot and quickly return the bread to the oven.
6. Bake for 5 minutes at  450 F (230 C), then for 10 minutes at  395 F (200 C) until lightly browned. (?)
7. Remove the loaves from the oven and cool on a rack before slicing.

Notes: 

*2 Autolyse allows the flour to absorb the water, which starts the dough's gluten formation, and makes it easier to knead.

5. Pre-shape
At the end of the rise, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it in half. Gently shape into two rounds, cover, and let rest for 20 minutes.

*2 Pre-shaping dough creates the basic shape the loaf will eventually be, without refining that shape. Why pre-shape? Any time you handle dough its gluten tightens up, making it more resistant to further shaping. Pre-shaping dough then letting it rest before its final shaping relaxes its gluten, making it much easier to shape into its final form.

*3 Scoring (a.k.a. slashing) a risen loaf just before putting it into the oven helps it retain its shape by giving it a pre-designated spot — the slash — to expand. Without scoring, bread may bulge, or "blow out" its side or top, creating a misshapen loaf. Scoring can be a simple series of straight-line cuts made with a baker's lame, razor, or sharp knife; or it may be both intricate and decorative.

*4 Steam
Adding steam during baking is critical to the final look and taste of your bread. Steam doesn't just enable a great rise in the oven, and help develop a beautiful, crackly crust. It also promotes an open crumb structure, as well as rich flavor and color. See our blog post, Steam in Bread Baking.

*5  If the oven is large enough, you can use a pot with lid upside-up, and remove the lid after 15 minutes of baking. Be aware some lids, especially for older version of Le Creuset pots, cannot take the heat as high as the pot itself.

Based on recipe Naturally Leavened Sourdough Bread