Same-Day Sourdough Sandwich Bread

Ingredients

• 125 grams active sourdough starter
• 325 grams warm filtered water (325 ml)
• 12 grams EVOO (2.5 - 3 tsp)
• 12 grams honey (or sugar) (1.7 tsp)
• 500 grams of unbleached flour (all-purpose, or bread flour) (4 cups)
• 12 grams salt (2 tsp table salt, 2.5 tsp coarse sea salt; this varies)
• butter or cooking spray

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine active starter and warm filtered water. Mix well using bread whisk or fork until most of the starter is dissolved
• Add EVOO and honey/sugar to the mixture. Stir until evenly incorporated.
• Gradually add unbleached flour to the mixture, followed by salt. Mix until a shaggy dough forms.
• Knead the dough in a bowl for about 3 minutes until it comes together and reaches a consistent texture
• Cover the bowl with a towel and let the dough rest for 30m.
• Perform a series of stretches and folds (10) on the dough four times with a 30m rest between each set. (2 hours total)
• Once the dough has almost doubled in size (about 3 to 4 hours) transfer to lightly floured surface
• shape the dough into a large rectangle. use a lightly floured rolling pin to get out all of the air bubbles. fold one side of the dough toward the middle, and fold the other side to meet it in the middle. roll it into a tight loaf shape. pinch and tuck the sides under. Place the dough seam side down in a greased 9x5 loaf pan.
• cover the loaf pan with a towel and let the dough proof for 2 hours, or until it has doubled in size and fills the loaf pan.
• preheat the oven to 375F (190C) during the last 30 minutes of proofing.
• once fully proofed, place the loaf pan in the preheated oven and bake for about 35 minutes or until loaf is golden brown.
• remove bread from oven and immediately brush the top with butter. allow the bread to cool in the pan for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack. Cool before slicing.