Ingredients
- 1 cup (227g) ripe (fed) sourdough starter
- 1 ½ cups (340g) water, lukewarm
- 1 to 2 teaspoons instant yeast*
- 2 ½ teaspoons (15g) salt
- 5 cups (600g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
Steps
- Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Combine all of the ingredients, kneading to form a smooth dough.
- Allow the dough to rise, in a lightly greased, covered bowl, until it’s doubled in size, about 90 minutes.
- Gently divide the dough in half; it’ll deflate somewhat. Preshape each piece of dough by pulling the edges into the center, turning it over so the seam is on the bottom, and rolling under your cupped hands to form a ball. Let the dough rest, covered, for 15 minutes.
- To make fat oval loaves, elongate each ball of dough you’ve preshaped by gently rolling it back and forth on an unfloured work surface several times. For longer loaves, continue rolling until they’re about 10" to 11" long.
