Easy Sourdough Sandwich Bread

Steps

1. 1Mix the dough
2. 2Place the starter, salt, and water in a large bowl. Stir with a spatula to combine — it doesn’t have to be uniformly mixed. Add the flour. Mix again until the flour is completely incorporated. If you have a straight-sided vessel, transfer the dough to it — it really helps monitor the rise and allows you to see the true growth in volume of the dough.
3. 3Perform one (or more) "stretches and folds"
4. 430 minutes after you mix the dough, reach into the bowl and pull the dough up and into the center. Turn the bowl quarter turns and continue this pulling 8 to 10 times. See video for guidance. If time permits, repeat this “folding” step every 30 minutes for the first two hours. (Note: even if you perform just 1 fold, your dough will be in good shape.)
5. 5Let it rise
6. 6Drizzle with a splash of olive oil and rub to coat. Cover bowl with a tea towel, bowl cover, or a lidded vessel, and set aside to rise at room temperature (70ºF/21ºC) for 4 to 18 hours — if it is super hot out or if you live in a humid environment, it may only take 4-6 hours. When the dough has nearly doubled in volume (or UPDATE: increased in volume by 50%, which is when I now end the bulk fermentation), it is ready. (Note: Do not use an oven with the light on for the bulk fermentation — it will be too warm. It is best to rely on visual cues (increasing in volume by 50% or doubling if you’ve had success with doubling) as opposed to time to determine when the bulk fermentation is done. A straight-sided vessel makes monitoring the bulk fermentation especially easy.)
7. 7Prepare the pan
8. 8When the dough has nearly doubled, grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan or 10 x 5-inch loaf pan with butter (or nonstick spray).
9. 9Let it proof
10. 10Drizzle dough with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Rub your hands with a little bit of oil to coat. Use your hand to release the dough from the sides of the vessel, being careful not to completely deflate the dough. Video guidance here. Turn the dough out onto a work surface. Quickly, shape the dough into a rectangle — fold the dough envelope-style first; then use a bench scraper to shape the dough into a rough rectangle. Transfer dough, seam-side down to prepared loaf pan and gently stretch into an oblong shape. (At this point, you can transfer the pan to the fridge if it makes sense with your schedule: rub the dough with oil and cover with plastic wrap, or tuck the whole pan into a 2-gallon ziptop bag. Transfer to the fridge till the next day. Then proceed with the recipe.) Leave the pan alone for 5 to 6 hours, or until the dough reaches the rim of the pan — this may take less time when it is very warm out. Do be patient with this second rise: to get good height, the dough should be near the rim of the pan before you transfer it to the oven.
11. 11Bake it
12. 12Heat oven to 425ºF. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for about 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 375ºF. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes more or until golden all around. If you have an instant read thermometer, it should register 206-210ºF or so before removing. Remove the pan from the oven and turn the bread out onto a cooling rack. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.