Tartine Bread

more gently to avoid pressing gas out of the dough.

this later stage, you should turn the dough

During the first 2 hours of the bulk fermentation, give the dough one turn every half hour.

call this a young leaven, meaning it has not fermented to the point that it smells vinegary.

Your leaven should smell sweet in an overripe-fruit sort of way.

The most reliable indication that your leaven is ready is if it floats in water, a result of the carbon dioxide gas produced by wild yeast activity.

result of the carbon dioxide gas produced by wild yeast activity.

To restore a less-sour flavor balance, after the starter is removed from the refrigerator, much of it should be discarded. The remainder, about 20 percent, is used to seed the next feeding to make a fresh starter. Discard about 80 percent of the refrigerated starter and add equal amounts of water and the 50/50 flour blend, following step 3 on page 46.

Proper final shaping is also essential to achieve the dramatic arced “ears” that bloom forming a decorative crust when your scores expand and open.

The glutens in the dough also begin degrading after a certain point due to increasing acidity, which results in a tighter, more uniform crumb. The volume of the final loaf will be smaller, and the flavor more acidic.