Source: Developed by Judd Mehr, inspired by several sourdough recipes.

Notes

Starter

For the starter portion of the levain, I just use the same container every day. I make the levain in the morning, mix it in in the evening, then let the container, with whatever is left, sit overnight. I then put in the water and flour in to mix the levain, and whatever starter was leftover is enough to get things going again the next day. This way, I never have to throw out starter. If I want to make something else, like waffles, then I can just make some extra levain whenever it’s needed.

Baking

Baking preferences are up to you. If you want a thinner crust, keep things covered and spritz with water before closing the dutch oven. If you want a darker crust, either cook it longer, or uncover it part way through. If you want a thick crust, increase the bake time, or keep the dough uncovered longer. Etc. etc. etc.

Schedule

If you plan on making this a daily bread, then the loaves of bread overlap. A basic schedule may look like this:

Morning 1:
- Loaf A: Shape and Proof (you mixed this and set to ferment the evening before)
- Loaf B: Levain
Evening 1:
- Loaf A: Bake
- Loaf B: Mix, Stretch/Fold, Ferment
Morning 2:
- Loaf A: Slice and Enjoy
- Loaf B: Shape and Proof
- Loaf C: Levain
Evening 2:
- Loaf B: Bake
- Loaf C: Mix, Stretch/Fold, Ferment
Etc.

The schedule for this bread is very flexible. Any time in the “morning” or “evening” should work. I ususally start things at about 6am and 7pm, but that’s just because those times work with my schedule.

Variations

SOUR-dough

There are a lot of factors that go into the tanginess of sourdough. I found this site which has a helpful list. I’ve made this recipe very flexible, but depending on things like: the actual timing of your steps, what room temperature is for you, the type of flour you prefer, etc., you may notice more or fewer sour notes in your bread.

Seeded Sourdough

Additional Ingredients:

• 40g seeds For Example:
• 10g Sunflower seeds
• 10g Black sesame seeds
• 10g Flax seed
• 6g Pepitas
• 4g Fennel Seeds

Process:

1. At the same time you start the levain, measure out the seeds in a small bowl.
2. Pour 40g boiling water over the seeds and let them sit until the mixing that evening
3. Use 40g less water in the autolyse step
4. Mix in the hydrated seeds with everything else during the mixing step
5. Proceed as normal.

Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough

Additional Ingredients:

• 75g grated cheddar cheese
• 25g diced jalapeño pepper
• 15g honey

Process:

1. Mix in the extra ingredients during the mixing step.
2. Everything else is the same.

Note that you can use any cheese, or any hot pepper. You can also use fine or coarse shredded cheese, or even larger chunks of cheese. Similarly, the pepper can be diced, minced, roughly chopped, sliced, etc. depending on your personal preference.

Roast Potato Rosemary Sourdough

Additional Ingredients:

• 150g roasted, puréed potatoes
• 3g fresh rosemary leaves, chopped

Process:

1. Prepare the potatoes.
2. Mix in the extra ingredients during the mixing step.
3. Everything else is the same.

It’s probably best to roast the potatoes rather than boil so that you don’t change the water ratio of the bread too much. You’ll have to decide when you want to cook the potatoes, but cooking and mashing beforehand and adding cold is how I do it. If you don’t have fresh rosemary, you can use dried, but you’ll have to use more, depending on how old it is.

You also don’t have to fully purée the potatoes. You can leave some chunks if that’s how you like it.

Note this variation yields a slightly larger loaf.