Step 1

1 One week before you want to bake, create your Sourdough Starter

Step 2

2 (See related recipe

Step 3

3 )

Step 4

4 Two days before you want to bake bread, make the leaven: In a large bowl, combine the flour, water and starter and mix until incorporated

Step 5

5 Cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and leave on the counter overnight

Step 6

6 The next day: In a large bowl, stir together the bread flour and whole-wheat flour until combined

Step 7

7 Add the water and leaven and squish the mixture through your fingers until there are no lumps

Step 8

8 Keep squishing until a homogeneous mass forms — it may be shaggy and that’s okay

Step 9

9 Using the scraper, scrape down the sides of the bowl and your fingers

Step 10

10 Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 10 minutes

Step 11

11 Using your fingertips, dimple the dough in the bowl, and sprinkle with the salt

Step 12

12 Flip the dough over

Step 13

13 Start kneading: With the dough in the bowl, use a pull-and-stretch motion to make about 30 kneads, pulling the dough toward the center of the ball

Step 14

14 Flip the dough back over, cover with a plate large enough to cover the bowl and place it somewhere warm for 10 minutes

Step 15

15 Repeat, again with no more than 30 kneads to the center

Step 16

16 Flip the dough over, cover and place somewhere warm for about 10 minutes

Step 17

17 The dough will start to come together and become a more solid round

Step 18

18 Repeat a third time, then flip the dough over, cover and let rest somewhere warm for 30 minutes

Step 19

19 Fold the dough: To do a fold, wet your hands, and then loosen the dough from underneath, stretch, pull up and fold the dough up over on itself

Step 20

20 Rotate the bowl and do this 2 more times

Step 21

21 Cover and let the dough rest 30 minutes

Step 22

22 Repeat, and continue this for 2 to 3 hours, folding every 30 minutes, until the dough doubles in size

Step 23

23 First shaping: Very lightly dust the counter with some flour and transfer the dough to it

Step 24

24 Divide the dough in half and gently flatten each half

Step 25

25 Form each half into a round by loosely rolling the dough toward the center from both sides (sort of a double jelly roll), and then again

Step 26

26 Flop the now-slightly-rectangular dough over on itself, as if it’s sitting and bent over, napping with its head on the floor

Step 27

27 That will give you a loose package, from which you can guide it into a round

Step 28

28 Let the dough rest on the counter for 15 minutes

Step 29

29 Second shaping: Gently lay out each dough round and fold the top two corners down, as if making a paper airplane, then start to roll it toward you

Step 30

30 Next, using both hands, pull the edges of the dough and fold them back toward the center as you go, to stretch the surface of the dough and turning it into a ball

Step 31

31 Place each ball, seam side up, in a banneton/brotform or a bowl lined with a clean, floured cloth

Step 32

32 Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight

Step 33

33 Baking day: Position the baking rack in the middle of the oven, place a large Dutch oven with a lid in the oven, and preheat to 500 degrees for at least 45 minutes

Step 34

34 Cut a large square of parchment paper and have it ready on the counter

Step 35

35 Remove one of the doughs from its basket by quickly turning it over onto the parchment, and leave the other one in its basket in the refrigerator

Step 36

36 Using a baker’s lame or a pair of kitchen scissors, score the loaf quickly in just one move — an arc of about a 45-degree angle works well

Step 37

37 Carefully take the Dutch oven out of the oven and remove the lid

Step 38

38 Lower the dough in its parchment sling/liner into the Dutch oven and recover with the lid

Step 39

39 Return the Dutch oven to the oven and reduce the heat to 450 degrees

Step 40

40 Bake with the lid on for 20 minutes, and then remove the lid and continue to bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes, until the bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped

Step 41

41 Transfer the bread to a wire rack, and reserve the parchment paper

Step 42

42 Remove the other dough from its basket, and score and bake according to the instructions above, reusing the parchment paper

Step 43

43 Transfer it to the wire rack, and let both loaves cool completely before slicing

Step 44

44 CORRECTION: A previous version of this recipe misstated the volume equivalent of 640 grams of bread flour

Step 45

45 It is 4 3/4 cups

Step 46

46 This version has been corrected