FEED YOUR STARTER: You’ll want to feed your starter about 8-12 hours before you plan to mix all of the ingredients together. Since this recipe calls for 100g of active, bubbly starter, it makes sense to feed at least 70 grams of water and 70g of flour the night before if you’re planning to mix the following morning. You’ll remove 100g the next day for this recipe, and you should have just enough on hand to refeed to maintain your starter. 

MIX AND INITIAL STRETCH & FOLD SET: Add all Bread ingredients to a bowl and mix with your hands for a few minutes until all ingredients are incorporated. If using a dough mixer, you can mix the dough on low for 2 minutes. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes, and then perform stretch and folds for 1-3 minutes or until the dough feels smooth and it becomes difficult to stretch out.

BULK FERMENTATION: Bulk fermentation is simply the process of letting your dough ferment at room temperature until it doubles in size. It usually takes about 7-8 hours depending on the temperature of your home and the strength of your starter. For this step, you’re going to perform 3-5 sets of stretch and folds every 1hr throughout the duration of the bulk fermentation. You do not need to be perfect with timing when it comes to stretch and folds! It's most important to get a couple of sets in during the beginning of the bulk. I don’t bother timing stretch and folds anymore just aim for at least 4 sets of stretch and folds.

ROLL: Once bulk fermentation is done, lay your dough out on a lightly floured (or lightly sprayed with water) surface and roll into a log.

OVERNIGHT RISE: Pick up the dough and place it in a 9''x5'' pan. Cover your dough (I use these elastic dough covers) and place in the fridge for overnight proof for roughly 12 hours. If you need to, you can leave your dough in the fridge for up to 24 -36 hours. 

FINAL RISE: This may be the most important step. Remove your dough from the fridge and place it in a warm spot in your home or in a proofer if you have one (make sure to keep the cover on the dough to prevent drying out). Let it rise until it has doubled in size. This process can take anywhere from 1.5 - 4 hours depending on the temperature of your house/proofer. 

PREHEAT OVEN: Now, preheat the oven to 375F. 

EGG WASH: Apply egg wash to the top of the dough

OPTIONAL: top the dough with sprouted rolled oats. 

BAKE: Bake for 37-42 minutes until golden brown in a 9''x5'' pan. I use this pan and absoluely love it! If you use the cover the top of the bread will turn out insanely soft. 

BUTTER WASH AND COVER: After baking, brush the top of the loaf with a little oil or butter and cover with a thick cloth so that the top becomes soft. 

LET COOL: Wait at least 1 hour for the bread to cool before digging in!