Preserved lemon and Kalamata olive sourdough

Slice the lemon into quarter-inch slices; shape does not matter. Put in a bowl.

Toss with a tablespoon of sugar and a teaspoon of salt; rest a few minutes.

Heat in a pot until the liquid thickens and turns a little syrupy and the lemons soften and lose some bitterness. Lid on; cool overnight.

Pre-ferment: stir 29 g sourdough culture into 173 g cool water, add 289 g flour and combine into a stiff levain.

Knead on the bench until homogeneous, not fully smooth; round into a ball, cover and rise 12 to 16 hours.

Mix: break up the pre-ferment in the liquid until no big pieces remain; use water temperature to control dough temperature.

Add 371 g all-purpose flour, 165 g whole wheat flour and 13 g salt. Combine, cleaning the sides, then scrape and smear with a flexible scraper until no dry spots remain. Dough is around 78% hydration.

Knead in the bowl, pinching and squeezing to find pockets of flour or pre-ferment. Clean the sides with a wet hand. Rest 20 minutes.

First bowl fold: stretch from the outside and press into the middle, working around until it feels tuggy. Rest 20 minutes.

Roughly chop 58 g preserved lemon and the Kalamata olives. Dimple them into the dough, pinch through to incorporate, then fold to re-knit. Rest 20 minutes.

Third fold with a wet hand; rest 20 minutes. Fourth and final fold.

Rise in a warm place 60 to 90 minutes; longer is fine if sluggish.

Flour the bench and dough top, release with a scraper and divide into two 900 g pieces.

Preshape into rounds on a floured board, touching only the floured side; place seam side down and rest about 15 minutes under moist towels so no skin forms.

Dust liner-fitted round bannetons thoroughly but lightly with a white and wheat flour blend through a sifter.

Shape into rounds: stretch upward and press to the middle all around, adding tension, then tighten on the seam side. Place seam side up in the baskets; optionally dust the tops with flour.

Cover and leave 1 hour at room temperature (up to 1.5 or 2 hours if bulk was sluggish), then refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees with a stone in the middle to lower part and two preheated cast iron pans for steam (a covered baker such as a Dutch oven is an option in a gas oven).

Dust the loaf bottoms with whole wheat flour, invert onto parchment, score a single cut down the middle and get them into the oven quickly.