This Sourdough Country Loaf is my favorite, go-to recipe for artisan bread, pizza, and focaccia. You can also add yummy fillings like rosemary and garlic, kalamata olives, dried fruits and nuts, etc. Just add after the "autolyze" stage (note that this is not a true autolyze). Recipe:
For the starter:
100 grams of water
100 grams of all-purpose flour
For the bread:
100 grams bubbly, active starter
375 grams of water
350 grams white bread flour
150 grams whole-wheat flour +100 additional grams
9 grams fine sea salt
100 grams rice flour
Make the starter:
The night before baking, discard all but 1 tablespoon of the mature starter. Mix the remaining starter with 100 grams of water and stir with a spatula to disperse. Add 100 grams of all-purpose flour and combine well. Cover and let rest at room temperature for 12 hours or until aerated and puffed in appearance.
Make the dough:
In a large bowl, combine 100 grams of starter with 375 grams of water and stir to disperse. (Reserve remaining starter for future loaves; see note below.) Add 350 grams of white bread flour, 150 grams of whole-wheat flour, and 9 grams of sea salt to bowl and use your hands to mix until no traces of dry flour remain. The dough will be sticky and ragged. Cover bowl and let dough rest for 25 to 60 minutes at room temperature ("autolyze").
After the dough has rested, (autolyzed) add any fillings such as herbs, dried fruit, nuts, etc. by gently kneading them into the dough. Dip your hand in water and fold the edges into the center as you move the dough around the bowl or container. Keep folding and turning, wetting your fingers as necessary, until a nice, round ball forms.
Cover dough and transfer to a warm environment, 75 to 80 degrees ideally (like near a window in a sunny room, or inside a turned-off oven with the light on) for 8 - 12 hours, depending on the temperature in your kitchen. This is called the bulk rise.
After the bulk rise transfer dough to a work surface that’s been lightly dusted with flour. (If making 2 loaves, use a dough scraper to cut dough into 2 equal pieces and flip them over so floured sides are face down. Use a food scale for accuracy.) Fold the cut side up onto itself so the flour on the surface remains entirely on the outside of the loaf; this will become the crust. Work the dough into a taut round. Place the dough round on a work surface, cover with a towel, and let rest 30. This is called the bench rest.
During the bench rest, mix 100 grams whole-wheat flour and 100 grams rice flour. Generously flour a 10- to 12-inch bread-proofing basket or a mixing bowl lined with a towel (reserve remaining mixture for future use).
After the bench rest, dust round with flour. Use a dough scraper to flip it over onto a work surface so the floured side is facing down. Take round, and starting at the side closest to you, pull the bottom 2 corners of the dough down toward you, then fold them up into the middle third of the dough. Repeat this action on the right and left sides, pulling the edges out and folding them in over the center. Finally, lift the top corners up and fold down over previous folds. (Imagine folding a piece of paper in on itself from all 4 sides.) Roll dough over so the folded side becomes the bottom of the loaf. Shape into a smooth, taut ball.
Transfer round, seam-side up, to prepared basket. Cover with a towel and let rise for 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on the temperature. (Or let dough rise for 10 to 12 hours in the refrigerator. Bring back to room temperature before baking.)
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Dust tops of dough, still in their baskets, with whole-wheat/rice-flour mixture. Gently turn the loaf onto your floured hand seam-side down and quickly transfer to a Dutch oven. Use a lame (a baker’s blade) or razor blade to score the top of the bread a few times to allow for expansion, cover with the Dutch oven lid, and transfer to oven. Reduce temperature to 450 degrees and cook for 20- 25 minutes. Carefully remove lid (steam may release) and cook for 20- 25 more minutes or until crust is a rich, golden brown color.
Transfer bread to a wire rack to cool for at least 1 hour before slicing. The bottom of the loaf should sound hollow when tapped.
Tip: Feed your starter and store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake again.
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