Crusty Sourdough Bread

Cook Time30

Lid off for an additional15

Total Time45

Feed your sourdough starter, and let rise at room temperature on the counter until doubled in size, about 4-6 hours.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the water and active sourdough starter. You can use a dough whisk or a spatula.
Next, add the bread flour, and sea salt to your water starter mix.
Mix everything well until you get a shaggy-dough ball. Next, knead your dough for 4-6 minutes until everything is nice and smooth.
Let your dough rest for about an hour and a half in a nice warm area on your counter.

Damp in your hands grab part of the dough stretch it upward without tearing and fold it into its center. Give the ball a quarter turn and repeat this three more times until all sides of the dough have been stretched and folded into the center.
Cover your dough with your damp towel and repeat this step every 30 minutes for a total of three stretching folds. With each set, your dough will have more strength. This will help with gluten development.

Leave your dough for approximately 4 to 8 hours on your kitchen counter. If your kitchen is warmer, start checking it after 3-4 hours to make sure it doesn't over-proof.

Gently turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Sometimes your dough might be a little sticky, so let gravity help, while lightly loosening from the edges.
Shape the dough by stretching it into a rectangle then folding the left side over to the middle then repeat on the right side. Start rolling your dough up from the bottom. Next, you will form a ball by cupping, rolling, and pulling to create a nice smooth ball.
Transfer your dough seam side up, and smooth side down into a well-flowered Beniton-proofing basket. Cover with a tea towel and let it sit on the counter for two hours depending on how cold your kitchen is. It might need more time to fermentate. After fermentation move to the fridge overnight keeping it covered. I cover my dough with plastic wrap that is pressed nicely against all edges of the ball, or you can use a shower cap. Let this rest in your fridge overnight.

Preheat your oven to 450° leave your Dutch oven inside and let it preheat for about 15- 30 minutes.
Turn your dough ball on a piece of parchment paper. Dust it lightly with all-purpose flour and smooth the flour out with your hand or brush.
Next, you’re going to score your dough. This is when you can create a design with your bread lame. There are so many really cute ways to design your sourdough bread. Pinterest has lots of ideas. For an easier score, you can create a cross shape on the top or a half-moon crescent along the side.
Make sure to carefully take out your Dutch oven using oven mitts. Place your dough ball with the parchment paper inside and add an ice cube to the outside of the parchment paper. Close the lid and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes remove the lid and bake for another 15 minutes until your bread has a beautiful golden brown color.
Remove your bread and Let it cool before slicing. Please wait at least 1 hour before slicing it into a freshly baked sourdough loaf. Slicing into a warm loaf will cause the bread to become dense and gummy. If you wait until the bread cools before slicing, it will be light and fluffy. Trust me, it's worth the wait!