Step 1: Feed Your Starter Night Before Baking

Baker's Schedule: 8:00 PM

• To ensure a bubbly and active starter, feed your starter the night before baking.
• Use a 1:5:5 ratio to feed your starter (this means one part mature mother starter, five times the water, five times the flour).
  1 tablespoon (20g) mother starter, 1/2 cup (100g) water, 3/4 cup (100g) flour
• Mix starter, flour and water in a jar with a spatula, cover loosely with lid, and mark the volume of the starter in your jar with a rubber band or piece of tape and marker. Let starter sit at room temperature (70-75 degrees) overnight until bubbly and doubled in size.

Step 2: Make the Dough

Baker's Schedule: Day 1- 8:00 AM

Combine Ingredients:

• In a large bowl, mix the active starter, water, honey, salt, and flour. Stir and knead with your hand until all ingredients are combined into a shaggy dough. Cover with a damp towel or plastic and let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature (70-77 degrees).
  1/3 cup (100g) active sourdough starter, 1 1/2 cups (360g) room temperature water, 1 1/4 tablespoons (25g) raw honey, 1 1/2 teaspoons (10g) 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 4 cups (500g) bread flour

Stretch and Folds:

• After the rest, begin your stretch and folds. This helps build structure in your dough.
• Starting at the edge of the dough with wet hands, gently lift one edge of the dough, stretch it up, and fold it over the center. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat with the next side. Do this for all four sides of the dough to form a ball.
• Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes. Repeat this stretch-and-fold process two more times at 30-minute intervals for a total of 3 sets. Your dough should go from being rough and clumpy to smooth and silky.

Step 3: Bulk Fermentation

• After the stretch and folds, cover the dough and let it bulk ferment for 5-6 hours. Keep the dough at a temperature of 75–78°F (24–26°C) for best results. The dough should rise by 80%, stopping just shy of doubling in size.
• The best way to measure dough has proofed 80 percent in volume is to mark the volume of the dough in your container or bowl when you first mix your dough, then as the dough ferments you can more accurately assess how much it has risen in volume and when it's ready to shape. Other signs of dough being properly fermented and ready for shaping include fermentation bubbles, a domed top, and springs back when you poke it with your finger.
• Note: if dough proofs over 80%, it’s best to bake same day. Over-proofed dough won’t sustain an overnight refrigeration and runs the risk of being flat.

Step 4: Shaping the Dough

• Lightly spray your work surface with coconut oil to prevent sticking. Spray your sandwich loaf pan with a bit of oil as well.
• Turn the dough out onto the oiled surface and gently stretch it into a rectangle about 9x13 inches.
• Fold one third of the dough over the center, then fold the remaining third over that (like folding a letter).
• Roll up your "letter" or rectangle to form an oval shape, pinching the seams together at both ends and popping any air bubbles.
• Place the shaped dough into the prepared loaf pan, seam-side down. Cover it loosely with plastic wrap.

Step 5: Optional Overnight Cold Ferment/Second Rise

Note for overnight refrigeration after shaping:

• At this point you have the option to cover the loaf in the pan with plastic and refrigerate overnight for optional fermentation, or proceed with proofing and baking depending on your schedule.
• If you choose to refrigerate overnight, do not proof after shaping. Dough will proof in refrigerator in pan, but will need additional proofing time at room temperature. Allow loaf to come to room temperature the next morning and proof until dough is risen over the edge of the pan and proceed with baking instructions as listed below.

If skipping overnight fermentation:

• Let loaf proof at room temperature for about 1 hour, or until the dough is just peeking over the edge of the pan.

Step 6: Baking the Bread

• Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) on convection bake.
• When the oven is preheated, place the loaf in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
• If desired, remove pan from oven and score loaf after baking for ten minutes for a more even expansion. You can use a sharp knife or a bread lame to make one cut right down the center of the loaf from one end of the loaf to the other.
• Return loaf to oven, and bake another 40-45 minutes. If loaf is getting too toasty on one side, rotate midway during baking. The internal temperature of the loaf should read 200-205 F, you can use a meat thermometer inserted into the loaf to check this.
• While the loaf is still warm, brush the top with a cold butter stick for a soft and shiny crust. Allow the bread to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
  cold salted butter
• Yields 1 loaf