Baking by Hand by Andy King Read Free Book Online

comes together in a shaggy mass. Don’t forget to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl regularly; you want all of that flour hydrated and don’t want to see any dry spots. Set aside in a warm place, at least 80°F/25°C, for 30 minutes.
    Sprinkle the salt on top of the dough and grab a four-finger pinch of the dough and pull. It should stretch out like chunky taffy rather than just tear off. Incorporate the salt into the dough, continuously pushing the sides of the dough into the middle while turning the bowl. After a minute of this, the dough should be pulling away from the sides of the bowl and developing a bit of a sheen, and you shouldn’t feel any crunchy salt crystals. Cover the bowl, and put it in your warm place for 30 minutes.
    For Poached Garlic Sourdough. Toss the garlic into the bowl, and very gently incorporate into the mix. You’ll want to crush some, but not all, of the cloves. Carefully push them into the dough while folding it over, but remember that your future folds will distribute the garlic evenly over the next couple of hours. Cover the bowl, and put it in your warm place for 30 minutes.
    For Toasted Walnut Sourdough. Toss in the walnuts, and push them into the dough while folding it over, but remember that your future folds will distribute the walnuts evenly over the next couple of hours. Cover the bowl, and put it in your warm place for 30 minutes.
    Turn your dough onto a lightly floured surface and give it your four-fold (see here ). It should make a tight little package—and after every fold, the dough’s volume should increase. It should consistently feel warm and active. Roll the dough over and place it, seam side down, back into the bowl. Repeat the four-fold procedure every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours (you’ll fold the dough four times in total) until the dough is strong but puffy, warm to the touch and holds a fingerprint when pressed into the surface.
    Leave the dough to gain some volume for the last hour. The whole process will take about 3 hours.
    Once your dough is ready to cut, turn it onto a floured work surface. Using your bench knife and scale, divide into three 1 pound 8 ounce/700-g pieces. (If you’re making the Toasted Walnut Sourdough, you’ll have some extra dough at this point because of the added weight of the walnuts. Just distribute this dough equally among the three loaves.) Gently shape the dough into rounds (see here ), being careful not to compress the dough too much, and place seam side down on your work surface. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes.
    Next, dust three round bannetons lightly with flour and set them to the side. Take your rested rounds and gently but firmly shape them into rounds again. If the seams feel like they’re coming undone when you lift a loaf up, give it a few minutes sitting seam side down on the table to seal it, and next time, use less flour for shaping. The dough’s moisture should be enough to seal the loaf closed. Place your shaped loaves seam side up in the bannetons, cover with a cloth or plastic wrap and place in your trusty warm spot.
    While your dough is proofing, place your baking stone on the lowest rack in your oven, and your cast-iron pan on the highest rack. Preheat the oven to 450°F/230°C. Check in on your bread periodically; if the surface feels dried out, spray it with a bit of water to allow for maximum expansion. If it feels cold, make it warmer. This may take up to 2 hours, depending on the conditions of your kitchen. The loaf is ready to go in when it feels very airy and holds a fingerprint when pressed into the surface.
    Flip the loaves over onto your peel. It might take a couple of batches to bake all your bread, depending on your oven size. Score the face of each loaf with your razor in your desired pattern. Now, grab three ice cubes from the freezer. Being careful not to keep the oven door open too long and let the heat out, open the oven, slide your loaves onto the stone, throw the three ice cubes into