From Carolyn
This is from my friend and neighbor, Antje. I don’t do it exactly this way, but close.
On the bread-baking front, this is what I do:
Take sourdough starter out of fridge. Discard half. I usually put that amount in a different container and keep it in the fridge for the next baking project and just add it to it for pancakes/crêpes or pizza/rolls.
Feed starter with 75 g all purpose/whole wheat/rye flour and 75g water (75 g = 2.7 oz) and let it sit in a warm place for several hours (2-4 hours). I like to put it in my oven which has a pilot and with that a consistent temperature of about 80F.
Once doubled or close to that, I start mixing the flour. I usually use about 500-600 g all-purpose flour and make up the rest to get 1000g with whole wheat and rye flour. In addition, I add sunflower, flax seeds and steel cut oats to a total of ~1200g.
To be sure the starter is ready for baking, take a small blob and put it in a cup of water. If it swims it can make bread.
I then add 750-800 g (or ml) of water and mix this well, either by hand or with a mixing implement. Let rest for 45 minutes for the autolyse (meaning the flour to expand). Then add 150g sourdough starter and 2 Tbsp. salt. and mix well (wet hands to avoid too much sticking).
For the next 2 hours you need to stretch and fold the dough as described in the video (https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=15+mistakes+most+beginner+sourdough+bakers+make) 4x every 30 minutes. I do 20 stretches and folds, but wonder if that is necessary. It takes about 5 min. each time, so no real stress there.
After the stretch and folds, let the dough bulk rest – I like to do that overnight at room temperature with another bowl on top of the bowl holding the dough as it may rise beyond the rim.
In the morning, transfer the dough to a lightly floured cutting board or smooth counter surface, divide it in half and triple fold (like a letter) each half. Cover with an reusable plastic bag (I use produce bags that I wash and reuse) and let rest for 45 min. Then grab each portion of dough and stretch the surface but tucking the dough under starting at the top to create a half-round ball. Check out a Google video on how to do that.
Once nicely rounded (5-10 stretches), transfer the boule (rounded dough) into a well flowered banneton or proofing basket (Google to see what they look like. Very important to have!). Add some flour or corn meal to the sides of the banneton too to prevent the dough from sticking to the sides of the basket or linen liner. Proof for 2+ hours in oven or proofing oven (I use my oven with the pilot).
To make sure the proofing is done, poke finger in dough and if it springs back half way it’s ready to bake.
Preheat the oven at 500 F with a Dutch oven (with lid on) inside for 40 min. When the timer goes off, turn the banneton carefully upside down onto a piece of parchment (hold the parchment on the top of the banneton and carefully turn the banneton upside down) and lower it on a wooden board.
Score the bread with a sharp knife or lame to prevent ripping. I usually just make an X cut on the top but there are various scoring techniques on YouTube. And transfer the dough on the parchment into the Dutch oven. Bake at 475F for 20 min with lid on and 20 minutes with lid off. It will make the most delicious bread. Have fun!
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