France / everywhere a crock of starter lives
Country Sourdough
A blistered boule with a singing crust. Fresh-milled flour drinks a little more water and ferments a little faster.
Your loaf
Scaled to your flour, protein, and hydration.
Suggested hydration 75.5%. Mix protein 12.6% · after VWG 12.6% protein · 10.6% gluten. Effective liquid 95.5% (water + milk/eggs/etc).
Rest
45 min
Bulk / rise
2h 55m
Proof
8h 45m
Bake
49 min
Times follow this dough weight and hydration — wetter and whole-grain run faster; bigger loaves bake longer. Timers below match these numbers.
| Ingredient | Baker’s % | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Whole-grain flour | 100 | 500 g |
| Flour | 100 | |
| Water | % | |
| Salt | % | |
| Leaven | % | |
| Dough total | 988 g |
Same list as a classic baker’s % calculator: Flour and Water stay on. Check Milk, Yeast, Oil, Honey… then OK. Percents are of flour weight.
- Hard White Wheat can take a real knead and a higher hydration. Give it a windowpane if the style wants one.
- Fresh whole-grain flour ferments faster and drinks more water. Watch the dough, not the clock, and consider a slightly cooler bulk.
Hands, rest, heat
Knead
No long knead. Mix to shaggy, then 3–4 coil folds over 2 hours.
Rest
Autolyse flour + water 30–60 minutes before salt and levain. Fresh flour loves this rest. For this batch: about 45 min.
Rise / bulk
Bulk at 75–78°F until ~50–70% risen, jiggly, with a domed surface. Fresh-milled often finishes 30–45 minutes sooner. For this batch: about 2h 55m.
Proof
Shape, then cold-proof 10–16 hours in the fridge, or 1.5–2.5 hours at room temp. For this batch: about 8h 45m.
Bake
Dutch oven 500°F 20 min covered, 450°F 20–25 min uncovered. Target 208°F internal. For this batch: about 49 min.
Weaker gluten (einkorn, emmer, rye blends) wants lower hydration and more folds, fewer slap-and-folds.
Method
- Weigh flour and water. Mix just until no dry bits remain.
- Autolyse 30–60 minutes.
- Add levain and salt. Pinch and fold until the dough comes together.
- Bulk ferment with a coil fold every 30–40 minutes for the first 2 hours.
- Preshape, bench rest 20 minutes, final shape into a boule or bâtard.
- Proof in a floured banneton. Cold overnight is most forgiving.
- Score and bake in a preheated Dutch oven. Cool at least 1 hour before slicing.
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