SourDough Bread

Ingredients

1 TBSP Active Sourdough Starter

6 C flour

2 1/2 C + 1/3 C water

1 Tbsp Salt

Directions

Mix Sourdough Starter, 1/2 C flour, and 1/3 C water.

Let sit 12 hours.  This is the leaven.

Test leaven (drop small spoonful in cup of water & verify it floats).  If not ready, sit longer.

Dissolve salt in 1/4 C water and set aside.

Mix rest of water with leaven.

Mix in remaining flour until a rough dough forms.

Rest dough 30min to 4 hours.

Pour salted water over dough and work in well.

Fold dough by taking one side, and pulling to center, folding on top of itself. Do this four times, moving a quarter turn around bowl clockwise each time.

Let site 30 min, then Fold dough again.  Continue doing this every 30min until it has been done 6 times.

Let dough rest 30 to 60 min.

Divide dough in half  Work gently to avoid defalting.

Shape each half of dough into loose rounds.   Sprinkle with flour as needed to help shape.

Rest 30min.  Re-shape, and rest another 30min

Flour two mixing bowls

Knead dough gently then reshape and transfer to bowl

Let rise 4 hours.

Heat oven to 500 degrees.  Move bread to loaf pans/dutch ovens, score as desired, and bake 20min.

Cover and bake another 20min

Reduce temperature to 450 and bake another 10min

Uncover and bake another 15-25 min until crust is deeply browned (near-burnt)

Cool loaves about 10min, xfer to wire rack, and then cool completely.

Notes
Don't use metal!! all spoons and mixing bowls need to be wood or plastic.