Sourdough September Boule

Method

Day 1 - Making Day

1. Place 350g water in a small bowl, add starter and whisk together. Weigh the flour and salt make a well in the flour, pour in the wet ingredients and roughly mix. Cover and rest for 20-mins - 1 hour.
2. Wet your hand helps to prevent the dough from sticking to you. Leaving the dough in the bowl, scoop underneath the dough, grasp a portion of dough pulling up and folding across the top of the dough. Repeat this action moving around the bowl and pulling about 8 times. Cover and rest the dough for 20 minutes to one hour.
3. Repeat 3 more times (you don’t have to be absolutely accurate with the timings) after the third pull tip the dough out onto a lightly floured counter.
4. Gently tease the dough into a square then fold the lower edge upwards into the centre, fold the top edge over the first fold, then the right edge to the middle and the left edge up and over the top of the right edge. Flip the dough so that the smooth side is on the top and roll the dough towards you a few times, this technique increases the surface tension of the dough and encourages it to maintain a good shape
5. Generously flour a banneton with rice flour or semolina flour and place the dough best side down into the banneton, ensure the sides and top of the dough are also covered in flour. Place a shower cap or lightly oiled cling film over the top of the banneton and rest until the dough begins to expand, which can take a few hours, then place in the fridge overnight.

Day 1 - Baking Day

1. Place a lidded casserole (Dutch oven) in the oven and heat to 220C -250C for 40 minutes before baking.
2. Now remove the banneton from the fridge then remove the casserole from the oven and take off the lid.
3. Holding the base of the banneton, like wine waiter holding a tray of glasses, tip the casserole with the other hand and in a gentle movement tip the dough into the hot casserole. Now make a deep score in the dough using a razor, lame or even scissors and replace the lid, place the casserole in the oven.
4. Bake for 30 minutes, remove the lid and bake for a further 15-20 minutes or until brown to your liking.
5. Cool on a rack. This bread will keep for a week and stays delicious, crusty and tangy.

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