This entire process takes roughly 24 hours. I developed this schedule following Brook’s directions in the video/directions (link) below. Most of the time is spent waiting so no worries. You’ll just need to figure out how to fit it into your regular schedule. Generally, I start at lunch time and end at lunch time which fits in well during a regular workday.
Side note: The colder the water you use, the more sour the flavor should be. Room temperature water is fine but should be depending on your taste. Some people like it really sour. It’s all preference.
5. Add 300 grams of flour (double the amount of water).
6. Add a little less than 1 tablespoon of Sea Salt—sprinkle it in (you can add more if you like it more salty)
7. Mix it together with spoon (metal sticks less than wooden).
8. Scrape off spoon and scrape sides of bowl into general ball (doesn’t have to be a ball just make sure all dough is mushed together – a dough scraper is good for this).
15. Third fold – Wet hand and fold again a few times—dough should be getting soft and supple and should not be tearing by this point.
16. Grab proofing bowl (you can put a cloth liner inside the bowl to make it easier for not sticking) and dust it with rice flour (can use wire mesh sieve to be really meticulous)
17. “Tension the dough” by flipping it out of bowl onto counter top—turn then tighten, turn then tighten. You’ll see the dough start to bend as you roll it. Don’t let the dough get to the point where the outer membrane breaks. That’s too much. Just enough so that it’s a nice and tensioned ball.
18. Flip the dough ball into the proofing bowl you dusted with rice flour.
19. Cover the bowl—you can use a clear hair net with an elastic or put the entire bowl inside a ziploc bag and seal it, or even place it inside a bigger bowl with a lid and close it. The main point is just want to make sure the dough is in a sealed container so it doesn’t dry out.
20. Over night –Place bowl/dough into the fridge so the dough can “proof” which means the bacteria starts working. Let the dough sit in the fridge over night. It’ll be ready in the morning.
21. Take dough bowl out of fridge and place on the counter. The dough needs to warm up to room temperature. This will take at least 2-3 hours unless it’s really warm in your house. The dough will rise in the process. After a couple hours check the dough’s temperature by placing your hand on the middle of it. If it feels room temperature, not cold anymore, you should be ready. Don’t rush this because dough will be doughy if you try to cook while cold.
23. Pull cast iron dutch oven out of oven an add a little olive oil to it and spread around with a paper towel so bread won’t stick (shouldn’t stick but just in case your worried it will). Careful, HOT!!!
24. Uncover your dough (remove hair net or lid) and flip it into the dutch oven—it will sizzle!
25. Score a big “X” on top of the dough ball with a bread scorer or knife.
26. Take spray bottle and spray a 2-3 squirts of water on top of dough to keep moist.
29. Take bread out of oven and place it on a surface which provides air flow underneath like on a rack or stove grates—do not place it on a flat surface like the counter because the bottom could get soggy from the moisture content inside.
