Bakery Style Sourdough Bread

Total Time: 24 hrs 45 mins Preparation Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 24 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 1/2 cup sourdough starter (proofed)
• 3/8-1/2 cup bottled water
• 1 cup unbleached flour (with high protein content, i use bread-making flour)
• 1 1/2 cups bottled water
• 4 3/4 cups unbleached bread flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons table salt

Recipe

• 1 you will need a 1-quart bowl, a 2-quart or large bowl, a baking stone, a baking peel or rimless cookie sheet, spray bottle for water, and a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.
• 2 first make the sponge:.
• 3 combine starter, 1/2 cup bottled water.
• 4 stir in 1 cup flour until combined, mixture should resemble thick pancake batter.
• 5 cover container with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, 2 to 3 hours.
• 6 make the dough:.
• 7 use a mixer with dough hook (i used my bread machine on dough cycle).
• 8 pour 1 1/2 cups water in large bowl.
• 9 add 'sponge' to water.
• 10 with mixer running on low, add flour, 1/2 cup at a time.
• 11 once all flour (4- 4 3/4 cups) has been added, continue kneading until forms a ball, about 1 minute longer. cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rest 20 minutes.
• 12 using fingers, create a pocket in rested dough; add salt to pocket. knead dough until forms a firm ball. about 6 minutes. (if using mixer, knead at low speed, until dough is soft, smooth and moist, should not be sticky, about 5 minutes. transfer dough to clean work surface and knead by hand until dough forms firm ball, about 1 additional minute).
• 13 lightly spray bowl with non-stick cooking spray; place dough in container and lightly spray surface of dough. set in draft-free area (room temperature) and let stand until doubles in bulk 3 to 5 hours.
• 14 once doubled in bulk, remove the dough to clean work surface.
• 15 stretch the dough (to redistribute and refresh yeast) as far as possible without tearing, then fold into thirds like a letter.
• 16 divide the dough in half using chef's knife.
• 17 form each half into rough ball, cover loosley with plasic wrap or damp kitchen towel, and let rise for 15 minutes.
• 18 using your hands to push the dough against the unfloured work surface, form a taught ball without ripping the surface.
• 19 pinch bottom seam and set each round, seam side down, on separate sheets of parchment paper on dinner plates.
• 20 spray rounds lightly with non-stick cooking oil and cover loosley, but completely, with plastic wrap.
• 21 refrigerate for 8- 12 hours.
• 22 remove the rounds from refrigerator and gently slide (with parchment paper) on to room-temperature surface where they can rise undisturbed for several hours.
• 23 loosen plastic wrap to allow rounds to rise; let rise until double in bulk and dough barely springs back when poked with your knuckle, 3-4 hours.
• 24 place baking stone on lower-middle position.
• 25 preheat oven to 500°f.
• 26 carefully slide rounds on parchment to baking peel or rimless cookie sheet.
• 27 using sharp knife slash rounds diagonally.
• 28 spray loaves with water and slide carefully on to baking stone.
• 29 immediately reduce the temperature to 450°.
• 30 during the first 5 minutes spray the loaves 2 additional times.
• 31 bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.
• 32 transfer loaves to wire rack and cool to room temperature.