Tangy Homemade Sourdough Bread with Creative Add-ins

Prepare your starter the night before and feed again the morning of bread making. Wait about 4 hours until your starter is bubbly and has risen to double its size.

Autolyze your dough by mixing flour and water together, use your hands to roughly combine. The texture will be thick and sticky; cover and let rest for 1 hour.

Mix the dough again; it should be easier to work with as enzymes have broken down proteins and sugars.

Perform the first set of stretch and folds, then cover and rest for 45 minutes.

Repeat the stretch and fold step 3 or 4 times; each time, the dough will become more structured and stretchier.

Allow the dough to bulk rise for 3 hours at warm temperatures, then cover and place in the fridge overnight.

The next morning, remove the dough and let it warm up to room temperature for about 30 minutes.

Preshape the dough by stretching and folding it toward the center; rest for 30 minutes and repeat for final shaping into a round, tight ball.

Let it rest again for 30 minutes and preheat your oven to 475F.

Bake for 25 minutes in a Dutch oven with the lid on, then lower the temperature to 400F and bake for another 10-20 minutes or until golden brown.