Bread Baking Fundamentals · Lesson 10 · 22 min

Putting It All Together: Your First Loaf

The complete recipe

This is a 70% hydration sourdough. Manageable for beginners, produces excellent bread.

450g bread flour, 315g water (290g + 25g reserve), 90g active starter, 9g fine sea salt.

Ingredients· 1 loaf

450 gbread flour11–13% protein

315 gwater70% hydration

9 gfine sea salt2%

90 gactive starterat peak — doubled, domed, bubbly

Two-day bake timeline

Start

8:00 PMFeed your starter

5 min

Use it when doubled and domed — typically 4–8 hours later.

10:00 PMAutolyse — mix flour + water

30–45 min

Mix flour with 290g water. Cover and rest. Gluten forms without kneading.

10:45 PMAdd starter + salt, mix

10 min

Dissolve salt in remaining 25g water. Squeeze through dough. Target 75–78°F.

10:55 PMStretch and fold — 4 sets

every 30 min × 2 hrs

4 folds per set. After the 4th set, leave it alone.

12:55 AMBulk fermentation

4–6 hrs at 75°F

Done when 50–75% grown and poke test passes. Longer if kitchen is cool.

6:55 AMPre-shape + bench rest

25 min

Rough round, rest uncovered.

7:20 AMFinal shape → banneton → fridge

8–16 hrs

Build tension, place seam-side up, cover, refrigerate.

3:20 PMPreheat oven + Dutch oven to 500°F

45–60 min

Dutch oven must be fully saturated with heat.

4:20 PMScore and bake covered

20 min at 500°F

Turn cold dough onto parchment, score at 45°, load into Dutch oven.

4:40 PMRemove lid, reduce to 450°F

20–25 min

Bake until deep brown — darker than you think.

5:05 PMCool on rack

1–2 hrs

Crumb is still setting. Do not cut early.

7:05 PMCut and read the crumb

Day 1 evening: levain and autolyse

8pm: Feed your starter. Use it when doubled (typically 4-8 hours).

10pm (or when starter is ready): Mix flour and 290g of the water. Rest 30-45 minutes covered.

Day 1 night: mix and bulk

Add starter and salt dissolved in remaining 25g water. Mix until incorporated. Target dough temperature: 75-78F.

Bulk fermentation: 4-6 hours at 75F. Perform 4 sets of stretch and folds in the first 2 hours (every 30 min). Then leave it alone. Bulk is done when the dough has risen, feels billowy, and passes the poke test.

Day 2 morning: shape and cold proof

When bulk is done (50-75% growth, passes poke test): pre-shape, bench rest 25 minutes, final shape. Place in floured banneton seam-side up. Cover and refrigerate 8-16 hours.

Day 2: bake

Preheat oven to 500F with Dutch oven inside for 1 hour. Turn dough onto parchment, score with a sharp blade at 45 degrees. Bake covered 20 minutes. Remove lid, reduce to 450F, bake 20-25 minutes until deep brown. Cool on rack 1 hour minimum. Then cut.

Your bake schedule

Start time (feed starter)8:00 PM

6 AM10 PM

8:00 PM

Feed starterUse when doubled (4–8 hrs)

4:00 AM

AutolyseMix flour + 290g water, rest

4:45 AM

Mix doughAdd starter + salt. Target 75–78°F

5:00 AM

Stretch & fold ×4Every 30 min for 2 hrs

5:00 AM

Bulk fermentation4–6 hrs at 75°F

10:00 AM

Pre-shapeRough round, bench rest 25 min

10:25 AM

Final shapeBuild surface tension

10:35 AM

Cold proof8–16 hrs in fridge

7:35 PM

Preheat oven500°F with Dutch oven inside

8:35 PM

Score & bake20 min covered, 20–25 min uncovered

9:20 PM

CoolAt least 1 hour before cutting

Loaf ready to cut: 10:20 PM

What to do with the results

Read the crumb. Note the dough temperature you hit. Note how long bulk took. Note how the dough felt at shaping. Write it down. Your second loaf will be better because you'll know what to adjust. That's the whole game.

← Mental Models for Better Bread