Sourdough Bread (Dutch Oven)

Ingredients

levain

40g starter

40g bread flour

40g filtered water (I use Perrier)

dough

270g bread flour

30g wholemeal flour

215g filtered water

60g active levain

6g salt

Directions

• prepare the levain by mixing all ingredients and let it ferment for 4 hours
• on the 3rd hour, mix the bread flour, wholemeal flour and filtered water in a bowl and let it autolyse for 1hr ie. till the levain is ready to use
• measure 60g levain and mix with the flour mixture and let it rest for 15min
• sprinkle salt and mix again then let it rest for 20min
• wet fingers and do a NSEW stretch and fold then rest for 20min (1st fold)
• repeat NSEW stretch and fold then rest for 20min (2nd fold)
• repeat NSEW stretch and fold (3rd fold) and rest for 1hr
• spray working surface with water and transfer dough over
• stretch it wide and fold... transfer to lightly oiled container or bowl and rest for 45min
• stretch and do coil fold and rest for 30min
• do another coil fold and rest for 1hr
• in the meantime, prepare and flour banetton (I use rice flour)
• flour working surface with flour (plain or bread flour) and also surface of dough
• invert the bowl and transfer the dough to working surface... flour the top of dough 
• gently fold and shape the dough according to banetton used
• transfer to banetton, flour the top and cover with plastic... let it rest for 15min
• leave the dough in the fridge for cold retard for 12hrs up to 18thrs
• preheat the oven and dutch oven at 250°C for 30min
• transfer the bread dough to a parchment paper, flour lightly and do scoring
• carefully transfer the dough with the parchment paper into the pre-heated dutch oven and bake covered for 30min
• open the cover of the dutch oven and continue baking for 10-15min till achieve desired color
• remove bread from dutch oven and let it cool on a wire rack
• let it cool down before cutting

Foodnote: Trying the recipe from Katherine Kwa here. Very long process but ok lah. I just want to practice more on making good sourdough bread and also testing my new sourdough starter. The bread turns out super awesome. I can't believe I can bake such pretty bread woohoo. The oven spring... chekidaut!!!

I bake the bread using a very pretty 4 quart enamel dutch oven that I bought from amazon. Love it so much because not only the pwetty pwetty flowers and sweet color but it is very light compared to cast iron or the IKEA glass cloche. 

Below is a better picture that is more insta-worthy hehe...