Elaine Boddy master recipe (1 loaf)
- 50 g active starter
- 350 g water, room temperature
- 500 g bread flour (or 50/50 with whole grain)
- 7 g salt
Tartine method (2 loaves)
- 200 g active leaven
- 900 g white bread flour
- 100 g whole wheat flour
- 750 g water (~80°F)
- 20 g fine sea salt
The overnight method at 18–20°C is the most reliable for consistent results at home. The key variables are starter activity and room temperature — everything else is forgiving. The Dutch oven is what produces the crust: it traps steam in the first 20 minutes and gives oven spring. No Dutch oven, no proper crust.
Method
Mix
- In the late afternoon or early evening, dissolve active starter in water in a large bowl.
- Add flour and salt. Combine until no dry flour remains — a rough, shaggy dough. Cover and rest 1 hour.
Starter must be active: bubbly, doubled since feeding, and pass the float test (a small piece floats in water).
Bulk fermentation
- Perform 2–4 sets of stretch and folds over the first 2 hours. Each set: grab one side of the dough, stretch up, fold over the centre. Rotate the bowl 90° and repeat 4 times. Rest 30–45 min between sets.
- After the folds, cover and leave to ferment overnight at room temperature — 8–10 hours at 18–20°C. The dough should roughly double and look airy, with visible bubbles on the surface and sides.
Warmer room = faster fermentation. If your kitchen is above 22°C, reduce overnight time or use cooler water.
Shape & proof
- The next morning, gently turn the dough onto an unfloured surface. Pre-shape into a loose round and rest 30 min (bench rest).
- Final shape: fold the edges toward the centre, flip seam-side down. Drag across the counter to build surface tension.
- Place seam-side up into a well-floured banneton. Cover and refrigerate 3–10 hours (cold proof).
Bake
- Preheat oven to 230°C (conventional) or 220°C (convection) with a Dutch oven inside for at least 30–45 min.
- Turn the dough directly from the banneton onto parchment paper. Score the top with a sharp blade — a single ear cut at 45°, or a cross.
- Lower into the hot Dutch oven. Cover and bake 20 min (steam phase). Remove lid and bake 20–25 min more until deep golden brown.
- Cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing. The crumb continues to set as it cools.
Alternative no-preheat version: place cold dough directly into cold Dutch oven, bake 55 min total.
Starter maintenance
Keep 25g of starter in a jar after each use. Feed with equal weights flour and water. At room temperature, feed every 1–2 days. If baking infrequently, keep in the fridge — it holds without feeding for several weeks. Bring back to room temperature and feed once or twice before using.
Signs of a healthy starter: bubbles throughout, doubles in volume after feeding, smells like mild yogurt or beer. Signs it needs attention: strong vinegar/acetone smell, dense or sticky texture. To revive: several consecutive feedings with whole wheat or rye flour.
To build quantity: 25g starter + 150g water + 150g flour = 325g. Use warm water or a warm room to accelerate the rise. 100g starter ≈ 6g dry yeast or 14g fresh yeast for substitution.
Background
The Dutch oven is the most important piece of equipment for home bakers. In a professional oven, steam is injected in the first minutes of baking to keep the crust soft long enough for oven spring to occur. The Dutch oven replicates this by trapping the steam naturally released by the dough. Without it, the crust sets too fast and the bread can't expand properly.
The cold proof in the fridge (retard) serves two purposes: flavour development through slow fermentation, and a firmer dough that is much easier to score cleanly. A room-temperature-proofed dough is too soft and spreads when inverted. Scoring depth also matters — a shallow score tears, a deep score opens cleanly and produces the ear.
Flour protein content affects hydration tolerance. French T65 is lower protein than North American bread flour — reduce water by 20–30g if using T65. Whole grain flours absorb more water and ferment faster because they contain more wild yeast and bacteria.
Mistakes I've Made
- Starter not active enough. The dough barely rises and the loaf comes out dense. The float test is a reliable check before committing to a batch.
- Over-fermented dough. Too warm or too long — the dough becomes sticky and slack, loses structure, and collapses in the oven.
- Not preheating the Dutch oven long enough. The bottom crust is pale and the crumb is gummy near the base.
- Scoring too shallow. The bread tears at the weakest point rather than opening where scored.
- Slicing while still warm. The crumb looks gummy and undercooked. It needs at least 1 hour of cooling to finish setting.
Sources
- Bread | Elaine Boddy —
- Bread | Hikaru —
- Country Bread | Tartine Bakery —
- Levain —