Just before prepping the dough, mill your flour. The fresher, the better.

Combine fresh-milled flour and water. Mix until combined. Cover with a damp towel and allow to sit for 45 minutes.

Add sourdough starter and salt. Mix with your hands for five minutes. At this point, you can add more water if your dough still feels too dry. Add one tablespoon at a time until the dough is sticky. It should slightly stick to your hands, but it shouldn't be soupy.

Cover with a damp towel and let rest for 30 minutes.

Begin the stretch and fold process. Stretch and fold the dough 5-8 times (until you notice resistance from the dough). Do this for three cycles in 15-minute intervals. Cover with damp towel between cycles.

Increase the stretch and fold cycles to every 30 minutes. Complete three cycles of stretch and folds. Cover with damp towel between cycles.

After all stretch and fold cycles are complete, cover with a damp towel and allow to rest on the counter for 5-6 hours, or it has risen about 20%-30%, and bubbles are forming around the edges. I’ve found that any space below 73 degrees slows down the process. So, find a warm spot, or use a proofing box.

Turn the dough out onto a clean counter or work surface.

Shape the dough into a ball by turning and spinning it toward yourself. The friction on the dry counter will create tension and aid in shaping.

Allow to rest for 15-20 minutes.

Place the dough into a banneton basket or tea towel-lined bowl FACE DOWN.

Gently pinch the left and right sides together. Then, pinch the top and bottom together. This creates tension and a nice seam.

Cover with plastic and allow to rise for another 1-2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 500° F with a cast iron Dutch oven inside.

Once the oven is preheated and the Dutch oven is scorching hot, turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper.

Rub the top of the dough with flour and score using a razor blade or lame.

Place the dough on the parchment paper in the hot Dutch oven.

With the Dutch oven lid on, bake at 500° F for 25 minutes.

Take the lid off, drop the temperature to 475° F, and bake for approximately 10-12 minutes or until golden. Ovens vary, and mine only takes about 10 minutes at this point, so keep an eye on it. Bread is generally considered “done” at an internal temperature of 190-200° F.

Remove from Dutch oven and let cool to room temp on a wire rack.