Levain

227 g  Highwood Crossing Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

227 g Water

45 g Sourdough starter (fed at least twice & left on counter if coming from the fridge).

Combine flour, water and starter, mix till smooth. Cover and let ferment 6 

8 hours in a draft-free place.

You can mix and allow to ferment 5-6 hrs, then retard in the fridge for an additional 12 hrs. --Make sure there is visible activity before retarding.

Final Dough

400 g Water about 98 F (DDT desired dough temp is 78 F at end of mixing. Adjust temp if needed)

454 g Sourdough starter

457 g  Highwood Crossing Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

228 g  Highwood Crossing Whole Wheat, Red Fife or Spelt Flour

1 Tbsp + 1 tsp Salt

Autolyze: Remove 45 g sourdough starter from the levain to keep starter going (refrigerate if on a week-by-week feed)

Mix above ingredients (NOT SALT) until incorporated.

Mixing: Now add the salt and mix 3 minutes on low speed or by hand. Then 3 minutes on medium speed or by hand.

Fermentation: Place the dough in a covered container and let ferment 2 ¼ hours, stretch and folding twice approximately every 45 minutes.

Divide/Preshape: 45 minutes after the last fold, turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 2 pieces. Preshape. Cover & let rest 20 minutes.

Shaping: Shape loaves into boules or batards & place seam side up on a well-floured linen and place in a banneton. Let proof in a draft-free place for 2 hours. OR set in plastic and refrigerate to bake in the morning.

Baking: Preheat oven to 450 F. Bake about 35 - 40 minutes. If covering, leave cover on 15 minutes then remove for last 20 minutes.

Flexible production schedule: 7 am make levain, 1 pm mix dough, 4 pm bake or refrigerate shaped loaves and bake in the morning once oven heated. OR 10 pm make levain, 7 am mix dough, 10 am bake.

(Adapted from Richard Miscovich “The Wood Fired Oven” - 69% hydrated, naturally leavened bread)