Neglected Starter Sourdough Bread – King Arthur

The Day Before The Bake:

This assumes starting ~8pm

Combine ingredients in a 6-quart container. Mix the ingredients by hand until the dough forms a shaggy mass and the flour is hydrated.
Set a 15-minute timer and leave the dough in the container at room temperature with the lid on.
At 15 minutes, return to the container and fold by pulling the sides of the dough up with a wet hand, then pressing to the middle to seal. Repeat this on all four sides, then set the timer again for 15 minutes.
Wait and fold the dough two more times. As you perform the folds you’ll notice that the dough smooths out, gaining strength and becoming elastic (more like a rubber band).
Leave the dough covered tightly at room temperature (approximately 72° F) overnight (about 12 hours). If using a mixing bowl, place the bowl in a plastic bag. If using a 6-quart container, just put the lid on — the main point here is that the dough should be well-covered to keep the exposed surface moist.

The Next Morning:

At 8am the next day (don’t be too uptight here — it could be 7am or 9am), divide the dough into two pieces. Gently form them into rounds, seam-side down, and rest for 10 minutes, covered.
Generously and evenly dust two lined bannetons with all purpose flour.
Shape the loaves into boules or batards. If your dough doubled on the overnight rise (the marked 6-quart container will help with judging this), put the loaves straight into the refrigerator. If it’s risen by just 50%, leave the loaves out for a bit (30 to 60 minutes) and then put them in the fridge. Note that the loaves should be covered with a shower cap or plastic bag.

8 To 12 Hours Later:

To bake, preheat two Dutch ovens — approximately 4-quart size — in a 500° F oven for 45 minutes. (Make sure your Dutch ovens are tough enough to be preheated empty; not all are. Check the manufacturer’s literature.)
Invert the risen loaves onto a sheet of parchment, score with a lame, and carefully place the dough in the preheated Dutch ovens. Replace the lids and return to the oven.
Reduce the oven temperature to 450° F and bake for 20 minutes with the lids in place.
After 20 minutes, remove the lids and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the loaves have deep color (and an internal temp of ~195° F).

NOTES:

Once you get the basic process down, you might consider adding seeds, toasted nuts, dried fruit, or even olives and herbs. As a starting point, for 1,000 GR of total flour use 200 GR of additions (in baker’s percentages that’s 20%). Keep all other measurements (water, salt, starter) unchanged.
As a general rule, anything dry (especially cracked or flaked grains, seeds, or toasted nuts) should be soaked in an equal weight of warm water for at least an hour — or even overnight — and strained before use. Olives and herbs don’t require this treatment as they’re already moist.

Yields 2 loaves of bread.