Quicker Sourdough Bread

Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins Preparation Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup sourdough starter (about 3 oz of liquid starter)
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (10.1 oz unbleached)
• 9 ounces water
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (11.3 oz unbleached)
• 4 ounces water
• 2 teaspoons table salt

Recipe

• 1 the day before or early in the morning, mix starter sponge, cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise till doubled - about 10 hours at 75°f.
• 2 to make the dough, mix starter with flour and water and let rest covered for 20 minutes.
• 3 sprinkle on the salt and knead the dough for 4 or 5 minutes on a lightly floured surface with floured hands until the salt is uniformly distributed.
• 4 stretch and fold by stretching the dough on an oiled counter with oiled hands into a rectangle and folding letter-style top down, bottom up and sides in to form a rough cubic package.
• 5 place in an oiled, straight-sided container covered. clear containers work best to judge when the dough has doubled in volume.
• 6 s&f every 30 minutes for one or two more times until the dough is silky smooth.
• 7 when nearly doubled in size (about 2 hours), tip the dough onto a very lightly floured counter, divide into 2 equal pieces and gently form into ball or torpedo shapes.
• 8 place in floured or oiled bowls or proofing baskets (seams up). cover with oiled plastic and proof at room temperature about 45 minutes to bake or refrigerate overnight for baking the next morning.
• 9 preheat oven to 425f with a steam pan (a skillet you add 1 cup hot water to).
• 10 when the loaves are 1 1/2 times the original volume (refrigerated loaves should be ready to bake even cold), turn out the loaves (seams down) onto parchment paper (not oiled) and score with a sharp knife or razor blade.
• 11 bake for 12 min with steam, rotate loaves, remove steam pan, and bake for 10 more minutes without steam until 205 f internally.