The (Perfect) Basic Overnight Sourdough Bread Recipe

Directions

1. If you keep your starter in the fridge and fed it in the last 7 days it is OK to use it straight from the jar, cold, without feeding. Best to use starter after it peaks, when it is hungry.
2. Weigh the flour in a medium bowl. Then add salt and any spices or seeds if you wish to include them. Mix starter and water in a small bowl until cloudy and well mixed. Pour the starter-water into flour incorporating all the flour using a fork and/or your hands. It should be a thick, shaggy, heavy, sticky dough. Mix for about 1-2 minutes; it will be hard to mix, just get the flour all mixed in and cover with a wet kitchen towel and let rest 15 minutes. It will loosen up as it rests.
3. With one wet hand pull the dough from one side and stretch it upward, then fold it up and over to the center of the dough. Quarter-turn the bowl and repeat, stretching up and folding it over the middle, repeat for about 30 seconds or until the dough gets firm and resists. Cover, rest, and repeat the process 15 minutes later. Repeat, for 30 seconds until the dough gets firm and resists. Then turn the dough over in the bowl.
4. Proof overnight, at room temp. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, wax wrap, or a damp kitchen towel (to keep the moisture in) and place it on your kitchen counter for 8-12 hours. 68-70F is the ideal temp. (If it is warmer, check at 6-8 hours)
5. Check the dough in the morning. The dough should have expanded, with a slight springy dome to the top. It won’t necessarily double in size (maybe 1.5 -1.75 times bigger) but will have expanded. Do the POKE TEST: With a floured finger, poke into the dough. If it indents easily and mostly springs back to its original shape, it has probably risen enough. If it feels firm or very hard to indent, let it rise longer. If it feels loose, runny, or indents too easily or doesn’t spring back, it is most likely over-proofed (bake it anyways).
6. Loosen the dough from all edges of the bowl using wet fingers, a wet spatula or wed plastic dough scraper, sliding down the sides of the bowl. With both hands wet, carefully pull the dough straight up, in the middle and lift it, stretching straight up in the air- about 1-2 feet and place it back down, gently folding it on top of itself. In this first stretch, the dough may feel quite loose and runny. This is OK. It should firm up as it stretches and folds. (Note: If your dough breaks here, it is probably over-proofed, bake anyway). After the first stretch, give the bowl a quarter turn, wait 30-60 seconds, wet your hands again and stretch it up high again, folding over itself in the bowl. Wait 30-60 seconds. Repeat one more time, 15 minutes later. Then, the third time you lift and stretch, you will lift it all the way into your floured proofing basket seam side up. Sprinkle additional seeds in the banneton before adding the dough if you would like it on the top of your bread.
7. PREHEAT OVEN: Place the bowl in the refrigerator for one hour uncovered which will firm up the bread and make scoring easier and help boost oven spring. It won’t rise in the fridge. (You could also keep it in the fridge for 3-4 hours if you want to bake later.) Preheat the oven (for 1 FULL hour) to 500F with your dutch oven inside and lid on. If you have convection-use it.
8. When ready to bake, place dough by the stove. Lay out parchment paper and flip dough onto it upside down. (So the bottom of the banneton is face up.) Score the bread swiftly and deeply, at a 45-degree angle, 3/4- 1-inch deep. Criss-cross, crescent shape or feel free to add other designs. Pull dutch oven from the preheated oven and place dough inside on the parchment paper. Cover quickly.
9. Place dutch oven in the middle of the 500F oven for 20 mins with convection on, 25 minutes w/no convection (or 28 minutes at 450F). Remove lid. It should be puffed and just lightly golden and internal temp close to 200F (if not, put lid back on for a few more minutes). Lower heat to 450 F, continue baking 10-15 minutes until deeply golden and internal temp reaches 204- 208F. Let it get golden! (For a less crusty loaf, increase covered baking time, lower uncovered baking time. You can play with this for desired results.)
10. Remove from the dutch oven, let it cool 1 hour on a rack or tilted up on its side, before slicing so you don’t let the steam out and don’t smash it- be patient.