Directions

1. Mix up Levain the night before at 100% hydration (30g starter, 90g cool water, 90g flour). 
2. The next morning, in a large bowl, dissolve the levain and salt into warm water. Next add all of the flour, mix until fully incorporated and there are no dry bits left. Cover the bowl. This begins the bulk fermentation. 
3. Perform 4-6 “coil folds” or “stretch and folds“ spread roughly 30-45 minutes apart. Ideally do the folds closer together at the start and then after the third or forth fold I give the dough more time to relax between folds. 
4. Roughly 30 minutes before the bulk fermentation is finished (~5.5hrs for me), dump the dough out of the bowl onto an unfloured countertop and divide in half. 
5. Using a bench scraper pre-shape the dough into two nice round balls. Let the dough “bench rest” for 20-30 minutes uncovered. 
6. Lightly flour the tops of the dough, slide your bench knife under the dough and flip the dough over so that the flour side is now on the countertop. Using both hands fold the left side of the dough into the center and repeat with the right side. Next, start at the top or bottom and carefully roll the dough up into a “log”. At this point pick up the dough and place seam side down in a bread tin. Cover the dough and place in the fridge overnight. 
7. The next morning preheat your oven to 450F and bake from cold for ~40 minutes, or as dark as you would like! You can score your dough with a razor or serrated knife just before putting it into the oven, or just leave it in scores and let it burst open naturally. 

NOTE

• Depending on your bread tin you may want to line the tin with parchment paper to help the loaf release after baking. If your dutch oven is large enough you can bake with the tin inside a dutch oven for the first half of the bake for a better rise.
• Top the dough with sesame seeds just before baking for an extra kick of flavour.