Feed Starter: In the morning, feed your starter using a 1:5:5 ratio (14 g sourdough starter, 68 g bread flour, 68 g water). Let it peak before mixing the dough. It should take about 10-12 hours.

Mix Dough: In the evening, mix together 325 g water* with 120 g active starter** Add 10 g sea salt and then add 500 g bread flour. Mix well for about 3-4 minutes. Let shaggy dough rest, covered, for about 30 minutes.*If your home is cooler than 69°F (20.5°C), use warm water (up to 100°F). If your home is warmer than 74°F (23°C), use ice cold water. If your home is in between, use room temp water.**If your home is cooler than 69°F (20.5°C), consider using more starter. I suggest trying the 120g on your first go; then, evaluate how the bread turned out and potentially add a little more next time. If your home is warmer than 74°F (23°C), I suggest starting with 75g starter; then, evaluate how the bread turned out and adjust up or down next time. Underproofed: needs more starter. Overproofed: needs less starter.

Stretch & Fold: Do 3-5 rounds of stretch and folds, spaced 30 minutes apart. Feel free to switch to coil folds for the last couple rounds to be gentler with the dough.

Bulk Fermentation: Cover the dough and let it ferment on the counter overnight (8-12 hours). It should at least double in size. I know most charts tell you to not let your dough double in size, but I have been getting the best results by pushing those boundaries. The dough photographed here quadrupled in size.

Shape Dough: Mist your surface with water. Dump dough onto surface, gently coax it into a ball using your bench scraper, and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Final Shaping: Flip the dough and use the caddy clasp final shaping technique to fold it into a boule or batard. Put it in your proofing basket with the seam facing up. (Reference the YouTube tutorial to see this shaping technique.)

Optional Stitching: Let dough rest in the basket for 10 minutes and stitch the middle seam closed if needed.

Cold Retard: Cover and refrigerate, ideally at least 8 hours. You can leave this dough in the fridge up to 4 days.

Score & Bake: Preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C) with a Dutch oven or bread dome inside. Flip the dough onto a bread sling or parchment paper, score, and bake for 30 minutes covered, then 10-15 minutes uncovered until golden brown. The dough's internal temperature, when done, should be 205-210°F (96-99°C).

Cool: Let bread cool for about 90 minutes before slicing into it. It's not the end of the world if you want to dig in while it's still warm, though!