I had many doubts about making this bread. For starters, the dough is really wet. Like slim oozing off my counter wet. So my first attempt was a very flat, round loaf of bread that looked more like focaccia, since I second guessed it and baked it too soon.

I trusted the recipe more the second time and watched a YouTube video too, assuring me that the wet dough was exactly right. There is a lot of waiting to this recipe, so you need to plan ahead, but with no kneading and very little actual work, it is pretty easy to do. The result of all that waiting is a delicious bread, with lots of crumb and a wonderful crust.

Tips:

• It is essential to weigh your ingredients here. Just using dry measures doesn’t give you the same amount of ingredients each time.

• Resist the urge to add too much flour. The dough is supposed to be wet. Use a bench scrapper to handle it and it is manageable.

• If you don’t have a dutch oven, you can use a cast iron pan to get the heat. An upside-down metal bowl over the dough while cooking can trap in the steam and create a crust.

• I reached out to the original recipe creator to ask how she was able to score her bread into these intricate pattern without the dough deflating, like mine had done in the past. The secret is cold dough! Once your oven is preheated and ready to go, take the dough out of the refrigerator and invert it onto parchment. Score with a knife, scissor or lame and get the dough in the oven.

Recipe from Brooklyn Sourdough

Makes one 750-g loaf

INGREDIENTS

80 g whole wheat flour

320 g bread flour

272 ml water

240 g mature starter

8 g salt

DAY 1: PREP

1. Optional autolyse: At least 30 minutes before mixing up the dough (several hours before is great too!), combine the flours and water. Let sit, lightly covered, until time to mix the dough. Note, I do not always do an autolyse, and have not personally detected much of a difference when I do! See if it has an effect for you.

2. When your starter is fully mature (has doubled), mix 240 g into the autolyse thoroughly (or, if you did not do an autolyse, mix the starter with the flours and water). Let sit, lightly covered, for 30 minutes.

3. Sprinkle the salt atop the mixture and pinch and fold it into the dough. Let sit, lightly covered, for 1 hour.

4. Wet your hands with water and perform a series of stretch and folds. Repeat the stretch and folds every 30 minutes 3 more times or so. The dough is ready when it was risen about 1.5 times its original size, maybe slightly more. Let sit, lightly covered, for 30 additional minutes. (Average total time for bulk fermentation: 3 hours.)

5. Pre-shape. If you’re making more than one loaf, divide the dough by weight (900 g each) and pre-shape the loaves on a clean, lightly floured surface. Set aside for a bench rest of at least 10 minutes (up to 30 minutes).

6. Final shape. Give the dough its final shaping, turn out into bannetons (either well floured with a 50/50 mix of rice and all-purpose flour or lined with a tea towel), lightly cover, and put into the fridge. Proofing times can range from 12–20 hours, depending on your schedule and how fast the dough is rising.

DAY 2: BAKE

1. Place a Dutch oven into your oven on a middle to low rack and preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.

2. Turn the dough out onto a crumpled and wet piece of parchment paper, dust with flour, and score.

3. Immediately place into the Dutch oven, parchment paper and all, and put the lid on. Drop the oven temperature to 450 degrees F. (I also place an empty cookie sheet on the rack below to function as a heat shield.) Let cook, covered, for 30 minutes.

4. Remove the lid. Bake 15 minutes more.

5. Remove from oven and move to a cooling rack. Discard the parchment paper. Let cool at least an hour before cutting, if you can wait!