Country SourdoughRecipe

1. 1.First: feed your starter 8 to 12 hours before you build the levain, so it's lively and bubbly when you need it. If you keep your starter in the fridge, pull it out and feed it the night before — a cold or sluggish starter is the most common reason home sourdough doesn't rise. New to sourdough or don't have a starter yet? Read the starter-from-scratch guide linked below — it walks the 7-day process to build one from flour and water.
2. 2.To feed: in a clean jar, mix 10g of your existing starter with 50g flour and 50g water. (Roughly equal parts flour and water by weight, plus a small spoonful of the old starter — the ratio is 1 part starter to 5 parts flour to 5 parts water if you want the formal recipe-speak.) Stir until smooth, cover loosely, and leave on the counter.
3. 3.You'll know the starter is ready when it has roughly doubled in volume, looks domed on top, smells lightly tangy and yeasty, and is full of small bubbles. Drop a teaspoonful in a cup of water — if it floats, you're good to go. If it sinks, give it another hour or two and check again.
4. 4.Now build the levain itself. The night before mix day, combine 30g of your peaked starter, 75g bread flour, and 75g water in a jar. Mix until smooth, mark the level on the jar with a rubber band so you can see it grow, and leave covered loosely on the counter.
5. 5.The levain is ready in the morning when it has roughly doubled, looks domed and bubbly, and passes the same float test — drop a small spoonful in water; if it floats, it's strong enough to leaven the bread. If your kitchen is cold, this can take longer; build it earlier next time or move the jar somewhere warmer.

The float test is a useful green light, not the rule. A levain can be ready without floating perfectly, but if it floats AND looks bubbly AND smells lively, you can move on with confidence.

1. 1.In the morning, combine the flour blend and most of the water (hold back about 50g) in a bowl.
2. 2.Mix until no dry flour remains. Cover and rest. This autolyse period builds gluten passively and softens the bran.

1. 1.Add the levain and salt (mixed into the reserved water) to the autolysed dough.
2. 2.Mix with a wet hand by pinching through and folding until everything is fully combined and the dough holds together. About 5 minutes.
3. 3.The dough will be soft and slightly sticky.

1. 1.Do a set of stretch and fold every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours. Four sets total.
2. 2.Switch to coil folds (lift the middle, let the dough drape, rotate) for the next 1–2 sets if the dough is getting strong.
3. 3.Let the dough rest until it has risen by 50–75%, feels airy, and shows visible bubbles on the surface and sides.

Sourdough timing varies wildly with temperature. A 78°F dough finishes bulk faster than a 70°F one. Go by the dough, not the clock.

1. 1.Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter and divide in two.
2. 2.pre-shape each piece into a loose round by tucking edges underneath. Let rest seam-side-down for 20 minutes.
3. 3.Final shape: flip one round over, fold the sides in and roll up tightly to build surface tension. Place seam-side-up in a floured banneton. Repeat for the second.

1. 1.Cover the bannetons with a damp towel or place in a sealed plastic bag.
2. 2.Refrigerate overnight. The cold slows fermentation to a crawl while flavor compounds develop.

1. 1.Preheat a Dutch oven inside the oven at 500°F / 260°C for at least 45 minutes. Or use the COLD-START METHOD: place the cold dough in a cold Dutch oven, lid on, then turn the oven on to 500°F / 260°C. Cold-start (Forkish/King Arthur method) is safer — no risk of burning yourself on screaming-hot cast iron — and produces nearly identical results. Start covered timer when the oven hits temperature.
2. 2.Tip one cold dough out onto parchment, dust off excess flour, and score with a sharp blade. Cut ~¼ inch (6 mm) deep at a 30–45° angle to lift a dramatic ear; for a decorative pattern (square, leaf), score perpendicular and shallower. scoring controls the oven spring — too shallow and the dough bursts at the seams instead of opening at the cuts.
3. 3.Lower the dough into the Dutch oven on its parchment, cover, and reduce heat to 475°F / 245°C. Bake covered 20 minutes.
4. 4.Remove the lid, drop to 450°F / 232°C, and bake another 25–30 minutes until deep mahogany.
5. 5.Cool on a rack at least 1 hour before slicing. Sourdough crumb is still setting straight out of the oven.

1. 1.Same prereq as the overnight version: your starter needs to be lively. Feed it 8 to 12 hours before this step (the night before), with a small amount of starter mixed into roughly equal parts flour and water. Don't have a starter? See the starter-from-scratch guide linked below.
2. 2.Early in the morning, build the levain at a smaller-and-warmer ratio than the overnight version so it peaks faster: combine 30g of your peaked starter with 60g bread flour and 60g water in a jar. Mix until smooth, mark the level with a rubber band.
3. 3.Ready in 4 to 6 hours when it has roughly doubled, looks domed and bubbly, and floats when you drop a small spoonful in water. The smaller, warmer build peaks sooner than the overnight version.

1. 1.Mix flour blend and most of the water (hold back 50g for salt). Rest covered.

1. 1.Add the peaked levain and salt-water to the dough. Pinch and fold until fully combined.

1. 1.Stretch and fold every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours. Four sets.
2. 2.Rest until the dough has risen by 50–75% and shows good bubble structure.

1. 1.pre-shape into rounds. Rest 20 minutes covered.
2. 2.Final shape and place seam-side-up in floured banneton.

1. 1.Cover and proof at room temperature until the dough springs back slowly when poked. The dent should fill back about halfway in 3 seconds.
2. 2.Preheat the Dutch oven to 500°F / 260°C during the last 45 minutes.

Same-day proofs are tricky. Easier to overproof without the cold retard's safety margin. Watch for that springs-back-halfway poke test.

1. 1.Tip the dough out onto parchment, score with a sharp blade (scoring), and lower into the preheated Dutch oven.
2. 2.Cover and bake at 475°F / 245°C for 20 minutes.
3. 3.Remove the lid, drop to 450°F / 232°C, and bake 25–30 minutes more.
4. 4.Cool on a rack at least 1 hour before slicing.