• 1. Feed your sourdough starter the night before you are making your bread or at least 4-6 hours before using it to make sure it is active. 
• 2. Using a food scale and a large bowl, weigh out your flour, active sourdough starter, salt, and water (at about 85 degrees Fahrenheit).
• 3. Thoroughly incorporate all ingredients using a danish dough whisk or a wooden spoon. 
• 4. Place a damp towel or a piece of plastic wrap over the bowl, and allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes. 
• 5. After the first 30 minutes is up, remove towel. With dough in bowl and in front of you, grab the north side of the dough. Stretch the dough up and bring it across to the bottom of the dough. Then, grab the east side of the dough stretching it up and folding it over to the opposite side. Grab the south side of the dough and stretch it up folding it over to the opposite end. Then finally, grabbing the east side of the dough and stretching and folding it over to the opposite end. Cover the bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap and allow it to rest for 30 more minutes.
• 6. Repeat step 5 two more times.
• 7. After your final stretch and folding of the dough, cover the dough with a damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap and allow it to rise at room temperature until it doubles in size. This can take about 4 to 6 hours, depending on the temperature of your house. When it is done, you will notice bubbles all over the surface of your dough.
• 8. Once your dough has doubled in size, place it on a clean work surface that is lightly dusted with flour. With wet hands, start to shape the dough by bringing in the two sides and overlapping them and then stretching out the other sides and ever lapping them. Then, roll dough into a ball on the countertop and slowly bringing it back to you to create surface tension on the top. You will notice that by doing this the top will start to smooth out.
• ​9. Once the dough is shaped, place it into a floured banneton or bowl. Place plastic wrap on top of it and place it into your refrigerator for the final fermentation process. This should take about 12 to 15 hours.
• The easiest way to score your dough like a professional baker is when it is straight from the fridge! This will help you move your blade or knife easily through the dough. Otherwise, a soft dough will pull and tear. If you decide not to place the dough in the fridge overnight then place it in there for a couple of hours before baking so the finished product will come out beautiful!
• I like getting inspiration from google pictures on scoring techniques, and there are some really great videos on youtube that can bring out the artist in you too! For this bread I did an ear score. I placed the razor blade on the cold dough, slightly off center from the top. I held the blade at a 45 degree angle facing inward and dragged the blade down about a ½ half inch deep, until I reached the opposite end. I think the key to a beautiful ear is a cold dough and holding the blade at an angle.

Baking the Sourdough Bread without a Dutch Oven

• Place baking sheet on the bottom rack of your oven. 
• Place the pizza stone on the middle rack. Preheat your oven to 475 degrees for 1 hour. 
• About 10 minutes before the preheat time is up, carefully fill the baking sheet half way up with water and close your oven.  
• Place the sourdough on a piece of parchment paper and score.
• Once the oven is preheated, carefully open the oven, careful to not get burned by the steam. 
• Place the dough with the parchment paper under it on the pizza stone or cookie sheet. 
• Close the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
• Once the 20 minutes is up, carefully open the oven and remove the baking sheet with water. 
• Close the oven and bake for another 15 minutes or until golden brown.
• Allow the sourdough bread to cool to room temperature before serving.
• Serve with delicious homemade butter from my How To Make Easy Homemade Butter From Raw Milk and serve!