Classic Boule

Ingredients

Because my starter is fed with organic whole wheat flour, roughly 50 g of the total flour in this recipe is whole wheat (about 10% of the total). It’s a subtle background note, not a wheat loaf — but it’s part of the character.

Weights use baker’s percentage — the starter’s flour and water are subtracted from the totals. Use the calculator to scale.

New to sourdough? Learn how to make your own starter.

Method

1Mix the dough (5 min)

In your large bowl, combine 300 g warm water and 100 g active starter. Stir with your fingers until the starter dissolves and the water turns milky. Add 450 g bread flour. Mix with your hand or a wooden spoon until no dry flour remains. The dough will look shaggy and ugly. That's correct.

2Autolyse (30 min)

Cover the bowl with a damp towel. Walk away for 30 minutes. The flour is drinking the water and gluten is starting to form on its own. Don't skip this.

3Add the salt (2 min)

Sprinkle 10 g salt over the top of the dough. Wet your hand. Pinch and squeeze the dough through your fingers for about a minute until the salt disappears and the dough feels smooth.

4First fold (30 sec)

Wet your hand. Reach under one side of the dough, pull it up, and fold it over the top. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat. Do this four times — one fold per side. Cover the bowl.

5Rest (30 min)

That's it. Just rest. Set a timer.

6Second fold (30 sec)

Same as the first fold. Wet hand, four folds, one per side. Cover. The dough is starting to feel smoother and tighter.

7Rest (30 min)

Timer. Rest.

8Third fold (30 sec)

Same routine. Wet hand. Four folds. Cover. The dough is firming up now — it should hold its shape a little when you set it down.

9Rest (30 min)

Last rest before the final fold.

10Fourth fold (30 sec)

Same routine — your last fold. The dough should feel tight, smooth, and slightly jiggly.

11Bulk rise (1 hour)

Let the dough sit covered at room temperature for about an hour. It should grow by about 50% and look puffy and bubbly. Warm kitchen = faster. Cool kitchen = slower. You can also use your oven's proof setting at ~100°F — it'll get there in about 45 minutes. Same target either way: ~50% growth, puffy and bubbly.

12Shape (5 min)

Lightly flour your counter. Scrape the dough out. Gently pull the edges into the center to form a rough round. Flip it seam-side down. Cup your hands around the back and pull it toward you on the counter to build surface tension. Repeat a few times until it's a tight, smooth ball.

13Into the banneton (1 min)

Heavily flour a banneton (or a bowl lined with a floured towel). Place the dough seam-side up in the banneton. Pinch the seam closed if it's loose. Cover with plastic or a shower cap.

14Cold retard (8–14 hours)

Into the fridge. This is where the flavor happens. 8 hours minimum. 14 hours is even better. Don't skip this. Don't shortcut it. Go to bed. This IS your final proof. No separate room-temp proof needed before the fridge — the cold and the time do all the work.

15Preheat (45 min, morning Day 2)

Put your empty Dutch oven (with lid on) into the oven. Set the oven to 500°F. Heat for 45 full minutes. The pot must be ripping hot.

16Score (1 min)

Pull the cold dough out of the fridge. Flip it onto a square of parchment, seam-side down. With a lame or sharp paring knife, score one confident slash across the top — about 5 cm long and 1 cm deep. One cut is plenty.

17Bake covered (20 min)

Carefully pull the hot Dutch oven out. Use the parchment as handles to lower the dough in. Put the lid on. Bake 20 minutes at 500°F. The trapped steam does the magic.

18Bake uncovered (20–25 min)

Remove the lid. Drop the temperature to 450°F. Bake another 20–25 minutes until the crust is deep golden-brown. Internal temp should read 200–205°F.

19Cool (1 hour, minimum)

Lift the loaf out by the parchment. Set it on a wire rack. Don't cut it yet. I know. I know. The crumb is still setting. Slicing too early gives you gummy bread. Wait one full hour.