Jim Challenger’s Sourdough Bread

Step 1: Hydrate / Autolyse

Measure all your ingredients into separate bowls. Add starter and water to the bowl of your mixer. Mix on a medium speed until incorporated. Add flour. Mix on low speed until you don’t see any more dried bits of flour. Sprinkle the salt on top of your dough. Cover with a towel for 30 minutes.

Step 2: mix

Mix on low speed for 5 minutes. Mix on medium-high speed for 3 minutes. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes and pull a gluten window. Remove the dough and place in an 8”x8” Pyrex dish. Cover with a plastic cover.

Step 3: Bulk Fermentation

After 30 minutes, coil-fold your dough: First, wet your hands and shake off the excess. Pull the dough up with two fingers, stretch and fold under. Rotate 180° and coil fold again. Rotate 90° and coil fold. Rotate 180° and coil fold. Cover with a plastic cover. Let it ferment for the rest of the time as suggested in the Temperature side notes.

Step 4: Pre-Shape

Loosen the edge of the dough with a wet spatula or plastic dough scraper. Turn your dish over and let the dough slowly come out. If it doesn’t come out easily, just loosen it a bit more. Pre-shape your dough into a nice round ball.

Step 5: Bench Rest

Cover your ball of dough with a damp cloth and wait 15 minutes.

Step 6: Shape & Room Temperature Proof

Shape your dough into your desired shape and place it gently in a linen-lined banneton. Cover with a plastic cover and let it rest for 15 minutes at room temperature.

Step 7: Proof

Place your covered banneton in your refrigerator for 12-15 hours. The best temperature for your refrigerator is 39°F/4°C.

Step 8: score & bake

Preheat your oven and Challenger Bread Pan to 500°F/260°C for one hour. Take your banneton out of the fridge. Put an ice cube in a small bowl. Take your pan out of the oven and remove its cover. Carefully turn your dough into the base of the pan. Score your loaf. Slide the ice cube into a corner of the pan. Place the cover back on and return your pan to the oven. Turn your oven down to 435°F/224°C.

After 15 minutes, take your Challenger Pan out of the oven. Remove the cover and turn it over. Place the base on top of the inverted cover and return both to the oven.

After another 30 minutes, remove your loaf from the oven and place it on a wire rack. Wait 30 minutes and cut yourself a slice. Slather it with butter. Sprinkle with crunchy salt and enjoy!

Approximately One 1 1⁄2 pound loaf (750g)