Sourdough bread

Feed the starter six hours before making the bread; it should be just starting to fall.

Warm the filtered water to about 90F in the microwave.

In a large bowl, mix the starter into the warm water.

Add the bread flour and the salt and stir by hand with a spatula to a shaggy mixture with no pools of water or flour.

Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and rest at room temperature about an hour.

With wet fingers, stretch the dough up from the 12 o'clock position and fold it over; rotate 90 degrees and repeat three more times. Cover and rest 20 minutes.

Repeat the stretch and folds every 20 minutes, four sets in total.

Shape into a ball, place in a clean bowl, cover, and bulk rise 6 to 12 hours at room temperature, ideally 68 to 75 degrees; or bulk rise in the fridge for 24 hours and bring back to room temperature.

Check readiness with the poke test: the puffed dough should bounce back.

Loosen the dough with a spatula, lift it out with wet fingers, flour the top, flip it, pinch the edges in, flip back, then cup the hands and pull it toward you, rotating, until a tight ball forms.

Line a large bowl with a clean kitchen towel, dust generously with flour, invert the ball in pretty side down, cover and rise 30 minutes at room temperature (or up to 36 hours in the fridge for more sour flavor).

Chill the dough in the fridge an hour while a large Dutch oven preheats in the oven at 500F for an hour.

Flour the loaf, invert it onto parchment, remove the towel and score down the middle with a sharp knife or lame.

Place the loaf in the hot Dutch oven, cover and bake at 500F for 20 minutes.

Reduce to 450F, uncover and bake another 20 minutes until deep golden brown and 195 to 205F inside.

Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.