THIS IS VERY SIMILAR TO THE BREAD DOUGH I’VE BEEN MAKING—WHAT’S UP? Indeed, if you’re paying super-close attention, you will notice that this dough is almost exactly the same, just a little bit stiffer (more flour) than the bread dough you’ve been making. Using a touch more flour will lead to a pizza dough that’s essentially stronger, making it

It’s helpful to think of the gluten in the dough as a system of balloons. You want the gluten to be stretched enough so that there are some nice-size air holes in your bread, and in order for this to happen the gluten has to be good and stretchy. But just like a balloon, the gluten will pop if it is stretched too far. And once it is popped, there’s

firmly believe in the benefits of a “bold bake.” By baking your bread until most of its crust is a deep, dark brown, you coax out all of the possible flavors from the dough, create a glorious contrast between crunchy outside and soft inside, and also protect the loaf against quickly drying out. This can be a little unnerving at first, as it

11. Let your loaf rise. If you want to bake bread in about 3 hours, let the loaf sit out somewhere in your kitchen. Or if you want to bake bread anywhere from 6 to 24 hours later, stick the loaf in the fridge (or just outside if it’s cool out—about 45°F/7°C).

9. Shape your loaf. Now for the final shaping. Sprinkle a small handful of flour on top of the dough, and use your spatula or bench knife to flip it on its head, so that the seam is facing up. With palms facing upward, use both hands to grab the dough on the side nearest you. Gently lift the dough off the table, letting gravity stretch it downward.

the magic happen. Leave the dough alone until it has increased in size by about half, which will take 3 to 4 hours.

There are a million different opinions on the matter, but let’s just agree that for this sourdough bread, its bulk rise (see the info below) is done when it’s grown in size by about half. A

4. Knead the dough. After it sits for a while, the dough is ready to be kneaded. Dip your hand in a bowl of water, then reach down into the side of the dough bowl, grab a little bit of it, and pull it up and push it down on top of the dough. Rotate the bowl a little bit and do it again. Be sweet and gentle yet firm with the dough. Do this to all of

The consistency of your dough—a wetter dough will ferment faster than a drier dough