Country loaf, same day

The schedule

Times are for dough at 75°F (24°C). Start to finish: 18h 2m at 68°F, 14h 25m at 75°F, 12h 36m at 80°F. Filled steps get longer or shorter with temperature. The rest stay the same.

1. 1
   0:00 · 4h 30m

   Build the levain

   Mix the levain weights from the formula card. Ready when it has roughly doubled, domed and is just starting to flatten, and smells sweet-sour rather than sharp. Starter straight from the fridge works, but can take an hour or two longer. Keep it warm — on top of the fridge, or in the oven with only the light on, with a note on the door so nobody preheats it.

2. 2
   4:30 · 45m

   Autolyse

   Flour and all the water except 20 g, covered. Keep the 20 g for the salt.

3. 3
   5:15 · 20m

   Add the levain

   Pinch through until smooth.

4. 4
   5:35 · 20m

   Add the salt

   Salt and the 20 g of water you kept back, squeezed through.

5. 5
   5:55 · 30m

   Bulk ferment

   Cover it and keep it warm. A warm kitchen is what makes this a same-day loaf. First fold in 30 min.

6. 6:25 · 30m

   Fold 1 of 4

7. 6:55 · 30m

   Fold 2 of 4

8. 7:25 · 30m

   Fold 3 of 4

9. 7:55 · 30m

   Fold 4 of 4

10. 6
    8:25 · 1h 15m

    Bulk, hands off

    No more folding. Bulk is done when the dough has risen roughly 50%, domed, and feels airy — jiggly, not soupy. Read the dough, not this clock.

11. 7
    9:40 · 5m

    Pre-shape

    Loose round on a bare counter.

12. 8
    9:45 · 20m

    Bench rest

    Uncovered, 20 minutes.

13. 9
    10:05 · 10m

    Shape and basket

    Tight shape, seam up in the banneton.

14. 10
    10:15 · 30m

    Final proof

    At room temperature, covered. The oven goes on partway through, and the loaf keeps proofing while it heats.

15. 11
    10:45 · 1h

    Oven on

    480°F / 250°C, Dutch oven preheated inside. Give the pot at least 45 minutes at temperature. Glass lid or plastic knob? Check its heat rating first. If it is lower than this, fit a metal knob, or bake on a stone with a pan of steam instead. The loaf keeps proofing while the oven heats. Poke test it at the end: a floured fingertip should leave a dent that springs back slowly and not completely.

16. 12
    11:45 · 20m

    Bake covered

    Turn the dough out onto parchment, score it in one confident stroke about 1 cm deep, lower it in, lid on.

17. 13
    12:05 · 20m

    Lid off

    Drop the oven to 450°F / 230°C. Bake until the crust is deep brown — darker than feels comfortable. A thermometer in the centre should read at least 190°F / 88°C.

    Sources King Arthur Baking: Using a thermometer with yeast bread

18. 14
    12:25 · 2h

    Cool before cutting

    On a rack, at least two hours. The crumb is still setting; cutting early is what makes a loaf gummy.

    Sources King Arthur Baking: How to tell if bread is done baking