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Inspired by the "Flour Water Salt Yeast" approach to bread baking — a long overnight bulk fermentation at room temperature builds exceptional depth of flavour. A mix of white and whole wheat flour gives complexity while keeping the crumb light and open. The long ferment does the heavy lifting.
Ingredients
- 800g bread flour
- 200g whole wheat flour
- 780g water (78% hydration — use at 32°C)
- 200g active starter (levain)
- 22g fine sea salt
Method
- Mix (evening, ~6pm): Combine warm water and starter. Add flours and mix by hand until no dry flour remains. Rest 20–40 minutes.
- Add salt: Dissolve salt in a splash of water, add to dough, and pinch-fold to incorporate fully.
- Fold sequence: Perform 5 sets of stretch and folds over the next 2.5 hours (every 30 minutes). Dough should feel progressively stronger and smoother.
- Overnight bulk: Leave covered at 18–21°C for 10–14 hours. The bulk is complete when the dough has roughly doubled, has a slightly domed top, bubbles beneath the surface, and smells richly fermented. This will happen later at cooler temps and sooner in a warm kitchen — monitor carefully.
- Morning divide and shape: Gently tip the dough onto an unfloured surface. Divide into two equal pieces. Pre-shape, rest 20 minutes, final shape into tight boules.
- Short proof: Proof at room temperature 1–3 hours until the dough passes the poke test (a finger poke springs back slowly but not all the way).
- Bake: Bake both loaves in Dutch ovens, one at a time or together. 245°C covered 30 min, 230°C uncovered 15–20 min.
Critical tip: The overnight bulk ferment is temperature-sensitive. At 18°C it may need 14+ hours; at 21°C, it may be ready in 10. Check the dough's behaviour, not the clock. An over-fermented dough will feel slack and won't hold its shape.
Bake this with our shelf-stable sourdough starter — activates in 2 hours, so you can bake your first loaf the same day.
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