sourdough starter
PREPTIME: 5 MINUTES / DAY FOR AT LEAST 7 DAYS
FERMENTATION TIME: AT LEAST 7 DAYS
YIELD: 1 STARTER
Stone-ground rye flour
Filtered water
Unbleached all-purpose
flour (bleached flour won't work)
Ah yes, the number one item that took the internet by storm for years, and still does! This is the breath of life for true bread. There are no packets of yeast and no fancy ingredients—just flour and water. It's a 7-day process, but it only takes 5 minutes a day. If you can brush your teeth, you can definitely keep a sourdough starter alive.
1 Weigh a glass jar (about ¾ liter/28 fl oz) without the lid, and record the weight in grams.
2 On day 1: Add 100 grams rye flour to the jar, along with 150 grams lukewarm filtered water (85°F/30°C). Vigorously whisk together so all of the flour is hydrated. Cover loosely with the lid; do not screw or clamp it on. Let sit at room temperature for 24 hours.
3 On day 2: Remove enough starter mixture from the jar so 70 grams of the mixture remain in the jar. (You'll need to add 70g to the weight of the jar, which you recorded in step 1, to determine what your vessel should weigh on the scale.) Once you have 70 grams starter remaining in the jar, feed your starter. Add 50 grams rye flour, 50 grams unbleached all-purpose flour, and 115 grams lukewarm filtered water. Stir vigorously until thoroughly combined. Cover loosely and let sit at room temperature for 24 hours.
4 On day 3: Remove all but 70 grams of the starter. Feed the starter with 50 grams rye flour, 50 grams all-purpose flour, and 115 grams lukewarm filtered water. Cover loosely. Let sit at room temperature for 24 hours.
5 On day 4: Remove all but 70 grams of the starter. Feed the starter with 50 grams rye flour, 50 grams all-purpose flour, and 100 grams lukewarm filtered water. Cover loosely. Let sit at room temperature for 24 hours.
6 On day 5: Remove all but 70 grams of the starter. Feed the starter with 50 grams rye flour, 50 grams all-purpose flour, and 100 grams lukewarm filtered water. Cover loosely. Let sit at room temperature for 24 hours.
7 On day 6: Remove all but 50 grams of the starter. Feed the starter with 50 grams rye flour, 50 grams all-purpose flour, and 100 grams lukewarm filtered water. Cover loosely. Let sit at room temperature for 24 hours.
8 On day 7: Remove all but 25 grams of the starter. Feed the starter with 50 grams rye flour, 50 grams all-purpose flour, and 100 grams lukewarm filtered water. Cover loosely. Let sit at room temperature for 24 hours. After that time, if the starter is not yet active enough to use (see note), give it a few more days following the day 7 procedure.
9 Once the starter is active, you can continue to feed it so the wild yeast remains active indefinitely. Every day, remove all but 25 grams of starter. (Remember, you can always use the discarded portion to make bread!) Add 50 grams rye flour, 50 grams all-purpose flour, and 100 grams room temperature filtered water. Always keep it loosely covered at room temperature. If you forget one or two feedings, you can resume the normal maintenance schedule until it regains its strength. If you're going on vacation and want to put it to sleep, one method is to refrigerate it so it goes into a dormant state; I recommend an online search about this to learn more.
note: There are many tests to determine if the starter is ready. In my experience, the best indicator of a mature starter is when it rises and falls predictably. If you feed it at the same time daily, you should notice it rises to about the same height each day and falls at a similar hour each day.
basic sourdough bread
PREP TIME: 24 HOURS (SEE SAMPLE SCHEDULE) + MAKING THE STARTER
COOK TIME: 40 – 50 MINUTES PER LOAF
YIELD: 2 (10-INCH / 25-CM) LOAVES
White rice flour, for dusting
Levain:
35g mature sourdough starter (page 52)
35g whole wheat flour
35g unbleached all-purpose flour 
70g filtered water, room temperature
Autolyze:
804g unbleached bread flour 
75g whole wheat flour 
740g filtered water,
heated to 90–95°F (32–35°C), divided
18g fine sea salt
1 In a pint-sized jar, thoroughly stir together the levain ingredients. Cover loosely with the lid (do not screw or clamp it on), and let rest in a warm area such as a proofer or cold oven with the light on (78–80°F/ 25–27°C) for 5 hours to ferment (mature/ripen) and rise. It's done when the top is flat and it's just beginning to fall.
2 Ninety minutes before the levain is done, start the autolyze (a.k.a. fully hydrated flour). In a large bowl, using your hand, mix together the bread flour and whole wheat flour. Of the 740 grams filtered warm water, reserve 80 grams in a bowl to the side. Add the remaining 660 grams warm water to the flour for the autolyze. Using your hand, mix just until the flour is hydrated and the dough is shaggy but comes together; do not overmix. It will be very sticky. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let autolyze (rest and hydrate) in a warm area (78–80°F/25–27°C) for the remaining time the levain has, 1 to 1½ hours.
3 Once the levain has matured and the dough has autolyzed, in the bowl with the autolyze dough, pour the levain over top. Add a few splashes of the reserved (now room temperature) water to the mixture. Using your hands, dimple the levain into the dough. Stir together until the levain begins to incorporate into the dough. Then, using the Rhubaud method (page 15), mix for 2 to 3 minutes until the dough starts to become smooth and the levain is incorporated.
4 Turn the dough onto an unfloured surface. Perform some slap-andfolds: pick up some of the dough with your fingertips, letting it stretch, and then slap it back down as you fold it over itself. Do this repeatedly for 3 minutes. It will start to become less sticky and easier to work with. Place it back in the bowl and let rest for 25 minutes in a warm area.
5 Add the sea salt to the reserved water, and stir to dissolve. Pour the water over the dough. Mix the dough and water with your hands until incorporated. (The dough will be very wet; keep mixing until it comes together.) Turn the dough onto an unfloured surface, and perform the slap-and-folds again. Slap-and-fold for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and begins to catch some air. Place it back in the bowl and let rest in the same warm area, beginning the 3-hour, 45-minute bulk ferment.
6 During the bulk ferment, you will perform 6 sets of stretch-and-folds spaced out by 15 minutes for the first 3 and 30 minutes for the last 3. For each stretch-and-fold, leaving the dough in the bowl, use one hand to hold the bowl and the other hand to pick up the edge of the dough farthest from you. Stretch it up as far as it extends without tearing; then fold it over itself. Turn the bowl, and repeat all around the perimeter of the bowl. Place the dough back in the warm area, covered, for each rest. After the last stretch-and-fold, cover and let the dough rest for the final 1½ hours of the bulk ferment undisturbed. It should rise about 85 percent in total over the bulk ferment.
7 Gently turn the dough onto an unfloured surface. Using a dampened bench scraper and dampened hands, divide the dough into 2 even pieces. Preshape each piece into a loosely shaped ball (a.k.a. boule). Let rest where they are, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
8 Lightly flour the top of each boule. Carefully flip them so the unfloured sides face up. Shape each into a batard. Gently fold the bottom third of the dough up to the middle, then the left third up and over the middle, then the right side up and over the left, and finally fold the top up and over the bottom of the dough. Carefully roll the dough over so the seam side is down and pull lightly toward you to tighten the seam if needed.
9 Carefully place the batards seam-side up in 2 bannetons (woven baskets lined with cloth; see note on page 55) dusted with either rice flour or all-purpose flour. Seal each banneton individually in a plastic bag and refrigerate overnight to proof, 12 to 14 hours.
10 Preheat the lid and base of a cast-iron combo cooker or 7-quart (6.5-liter) round Dutch oven to 500°F (260°C) for 1 hour. Lightly dust the exposed side of 1 of your loaves with rice flour, and lightly dust the bottom of the preheated combo cooker. Carefully place the dusted loaf into the hot pan, floured-side down. Score the dough lengthwise from the top to the bottom, about ¼ inch (0.5cm) deep at about a 45-degree angle. Place the lid on top. Bake for 20 minutes at 500°F (260°C).
11 Remove the top from the combo cooker and lower the oven temperature to 450°F (230°C). Bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes, or until the loaf is a deep brown color. (It's okay if there is a little bit of char; it should be very well done.)
12 Remove the bread and cool completely on a wire rack. Give the pot another 15-minute preheat at 500°F (260°C), and repeat to cook the other loaf. Slice and enjoy. Store on the counter loosely wrapped in a kitchen towel for up to 2 days and then in a resealable bag up to 1 day more.
sample schedule:
9 a.m.: Mix levain
1 p.m.: Autolyze dough
2 p.m.: Mix dough and levain
2:30 p.m.: Mix in salt and remaining water; bulk ferment start
2:45 p.m.: Stretch-and-fold #1
3:00 p.m.: Stretch-and-fold #2
3:15 p.m.: Stretch-and-fold #3
3:45 p.m.: Stretch-and-fold #4
4:15 p.m.: Stretch-and-fold #5
4:45 p.m.: Stretch-and-fold #6; rest for 1½ more hours
6:15 p.m.: End of bulk ferment; shape dough (including 20-minute final rest) and refrigerate overnight
Next morning: Preheat the oven as guided, and bake!
big boy miche
PREP TIME: 12–24 HOURS + MAKING THE STARTER
COOK TIME: 50 – 55 MINUTES
YIELD: 1 (14-INCH/35.5-CM) LOAF
White rice flour, to dust 1 cup ice cubes
Levain:
25g mature sourdough starter (page 52)
25g whole wheat flour
25g unbleached all-purpose flour
50g filtered water, room temperature
Autolyze:
471g unbleached bread flour
314g whole wheat flour
589g filtered water, room temperature
16g fine sea salt
This is a favorite of mine. It's a truly shareable bread. It's the kind you see in all the knight-in-shining-armor movies. When you see it on the screen, you just KNOW that's some good shit. Earthy, tart, chewy, and above all, HUGE.
1 In a pint-sized jar, thoroughly stir together the levain ingredients. Cover loosely with the lid (do not screw or clamp it on) and let rest in a warm area such as a proofer or cold oven with the light on (78–80°F/25–27°C) for 5 hours to ferment (mature/ripen) and rise. It's done when the top is flat and it's just beginning to fall.
2 Ninety minutes before the levain is done, make the autolyze (a.k.a. fully hydrated flour). In a large bowl, using your hand, mix together the bread flour and whole wheat flour. Of the 589 grams filtered water, reserve about 60 grams water in a bowl to the side. Add the remaining 539g water to the flour for the autolyze.