Pain au Levain originally posted in Pain au Levain, the Results and modified from Bread Cetera's Pain Au Levain. Makes 2 loaves. Rewritten after Pain au Levain Success.
Ingredients
620g Unbleached All Purpose Flour
150g Whole Wheat Flour
455 g Warm Water
15 g Salt
300g Sourdough Starter (100% hydration)
Directions
Add all the dough ingredients, except the salt, to a mixing bowl. Mix with a dough whisk just until all the ingredients are incorporated. It should make a tacky, shaggy dough.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for an autolyse period of 30 minutes.
Remove the contents of the bowl to a work surface and mix by slap-and-fold (Musings on Mixing…) for a few minutes, just until the dough starts to come together. Sprinkle the salt on the dough and continue hand mixing until the dough reaches medium development or Use the Reinhart technique of stretch-and-fold I mentioned previously four times over the 40 minute period. Place the dough in a container covered with plastic wrap or similar.
Cover with plastic wrap and let ferment for 1 hour at about 75 degrees.
Perform a single stretch and fold on the dough.
Let the dough ferment for another hour.
Divide the dough into two equal pieces and preshape them.
Let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
Shape the dough into boules or batards.
Place the shaped dough in bannetons or bowls lined with floured cloth.
Put the dough in the refrigerator overnight under plastic wrap. You can leave it here for up to 2 days.
The next day:
Preheat the oven at 500 degrees F with the stone and brothpot, combo cooker, or other inside the oven.
Remove the dough 20 minutes before baking.
When ready to bake, turn the dough onto a peel and score it.
After the final the boule is inverted onto a peel, scored, loaded into the oven.
Turn the oven down and bake at 425°F for 20 minutes under steam, and then another 25 minutes without steam.
Make sure you leave it for at least 30 minutes before slicing.