Ingredients (for 2 loaves)

• 250 grams/1 cup leaven (see sourdough starter instructions for how to build leaven)

• 875 grams (3.75 cups) filtered room temperature water

• 950 grams (7.75 cups) bread flour

• 250 grams (2 cups) whole wheat flour

• 125 grams (1/2 cup) filtered water

• 30 grams (5 teaspoons) salt

Instructions

1. The first step of making sourdough is to build a nice leaven and let it mature overnight. See our separate sourdough starter instructions for information on how to do this.

2. So now you've got your leaven, which has developed overnight. To test if your leaven is ready to use, fill a mug with lukewarm water. Gently spoon a little bit of the leaven into the mug. If the leaven floats, you're good to go. If it sinks, let it do its thing for a few more hours in a warmish spot. When your leaven is ready, combine 250 grams/1 cup of it in a large mixing bowl with the 875 grams (3.75 cups) of filtered water. Make sure not to throw away your leftover leaven, as you'll want to keep that alive for your next batch. Or dump it and just keep buying it from Barbareño--we don't mind!

3. Give the mixture a nice stir to incorporate the leaven with the water. Then add the bread flour and whole wheat flour. Mix well with (gloved!) hands. Let this mixture sit for 30 minutes. It's going to look shaggy and not that nice, but don't worry, it's all good.

4. After the dough has rested (or gone through autolyse if you want to be technical), mix the 125 grams (1/2 cup) of filtered water with the salt. Stir lightly to dissolve the salt, then add the solution to the dough. Mix with (gloved!) hands until it is all incorporated. Then transfer to a clean bowl or container to ferment, and cover with a kitchen towel that is not infected with coronavirus. The taller and more narrow the vessel the better, as you want the weight of the dough to work against itself, which will build up the gluten. That's why you don't have to knead this bread.

5. Now set the dough in the warmest spot in your kitchen and let it ferment for quite awhile. But not so fast--you can't just walk away. You'll also need to "turn" the dough after 20 minutes. To do this, dip your (gloved!) hand in water, then grab underneath the dough and stretch the bottom of the dough up and over the top. Repeat this action 3 or 4 times. That comprises one "turn." Turn the dough every 20-30 minutes for the duration of the fermentation stage.

6. As the dough ferments, you'll notice it becoming more billowy and less dense over time. Once your dough has increased in volume by about 30%, it's ready to go onto the next step. This typically takes 3-4 hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.

7. After the dough has fermented, transfer it to a clean counter and dust the top lightly with bread flour. Divide into two equal pieces. Flip the dough pieces over so the floury side is face-down. Then fold the cut side of each piece up onto itself on all sides, keeping the floured surface on the exterior. Use a dough scraper to form the dough ball into a taught round. Then let the dough sit on the   counter for 30-40 minutes. It will flatten over time, which is a good thing. But if it flattens so much as to turn into a pancake, you'll want to reshape into a ball and let it rest again.

8. After resting, it's time to shape the sourdough. This is where it takes a little practice. Honestly, we could attempt to poorly describe to you how to do this in writing, but you should just look up the folding technique on Youtube. Type in "Chad Robertson Masterclass i Meyers Madhus" into your browser and skip to 3:07. Do what Chad does.

9. Once the dough is shaped, generously sprinkle flour onto a towel-lined bowl or basket. Place dough ball into the basket, seam-side up. Fold the sides of the towel over the top of the dough to cover. Place baskets on counter for 3-4 hours to rise, or in the fridge overnight (the overnight method leads to a more flavorful, but slightly denser bread).

10. After this final rise, it is at last time to bake the bread. To do so, place a dutch oven with a lid in the oven and crank the oven up to its highest setting (550-600 degrees is ideal). Once the oven reaches temperature, let the pot preheat for 20-30 minutes. Then sprinkle the top of the dough ball- -still in the basket--with flour. Remove the pot from the oven and flip the dough into the pan, floured side down. Make several slits across the top of the dough with a razorblade and Immediately put the lid on the pot and throw it back in the oven. Bake 20 minutes with the lid on. Then remove the lid and bake about 20 more minutes, or until the crust has formed a deep brown color. Remove from pan from the oven and let your beautiful loaf cool at least 30 minutes on a wire rack. Waiting for the bread to cool will be the hardest thing you do today. Repeat the baking step with the second loaf.

11. Cut into your bread and consume this simple food that managed to consume your entire day. It's fine though, you clearly have nothing better to do if you chose to make sourdough instead of buying sourdough from Barbareño for half the price.