No-Knead Sourdough Sandwich Bread Loaf

• Remember that you want to use your starter at its peak, meaning it has doubled or tripled when you are ready to use it
• My ambient room temperature is 77-79 F. Weigh out 110 grams of starter into a mixing bowl. Combine starter, water, honey, oil, caraway seeds, and salt and stir to combine and to loosen the starter so it mixes well.
  
• Add bread flour and stir to combine into a rough wet dough. The whole process probably take about 3-5 minutes. It is important that there shouldn't be any visible dry bits. If the dough feels dry add another teaspoon of water and mix again. All flour needs to be fully hydrated. Cover and let it sit for 1 hour.

Do 4 sets of stretch and fold every 30 minutes:

• Stretch and fold # 1: Wet your fingers lightly. Pick up the dough from one of the edge, kinda wiggle it and stretch it up and fold it over.
  
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• Repeat this throughout the edge of the dough. You may end up with 4-5 stretches. Only stretch as far as the dough allows you too, don't force it. I like to flip the smooth side of the dough over. Cover the dough again and rest for 30 minutes
  
• Repeat this stretch and fold 3 more times, every 30 minutes. You will notice that the dough is getting tighter now, which is normal as the gluten is developing.

Cold fermentation: (if not baking on the same day)

• Once you are done with the last set of stretch and fold, I like to move it to a lightly oiled container that has tight-fitting lid. Push the dough down to fill up the container and then mark the side of the container to give me an idea where the height of the dough roughly is. So when it doubles in volume, I can easily see it.
• Let the dough proof until it is about 50% in volume and then put it inside the fridge. The dough will continue to proof but at a much slower pace now. By the next morning or so, it may be doubled in volume.
• The next day, remove it from the fridge and let the dough sit at room temperature to let it continue to proof if the dough hasn't doubled in volume. Once it doubles in volume, proceed to shaping

If baking on the same day:

• Once you are done with the last set of stretch and fold, cover the bowl and let it proof until it doubles in volume. I like to move it to a lightly oiled container that has a tight-fitting lid. Push the dough down to fill up the container and then mark the side of the container to give me an idea where the height of the dough roughly is. So when it doubles in volume, I can easily see it. Proceed to the shaping step after that
  

Shaping:

• You can use 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch or 9 x 5 inch loaf pan, the bread will be a bit shorter. Oil the pan on all sides
• Remove the dough and place on a lightly floured countertop. Degas by gently pushing all the air out
  
• Lightly dust the dough with some flour and use a floured rolling pin to roll it out into a rectangle, about 10 x 14 inches in size roughly.
  
• From the long side of the dough, fold the top side down and the bottom side up to meet in the middle.
  
• Roll the dough down
  
• Use the heel of your hand to seal the seam every time you roll it to create more tension to the dough
  
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Final proofing:

• Place the shaped dough into a prepared pan. Gently press the dough down to fit the pan and to even out.
  
• Cover with a plastic wrap and let it ferment again until it reaches the rim of the pan. It took mine about 2 hours at 82 F (28 C). Depending on your room temperature, it may take longer if it's cooler
  

Preheat oven:

• 30 minutes before the end of proofing, preheat the oven to 425 F (220 C) for conventional oven, 400 F (200 C) for convection oven, with a baking stone or a baking pan on a middle rack and place a cast-iron pan or pot, or a thick heat-resistant pan next to the baking stone so the steam can reach the bread easily. Pour in 2 cups of water. The water will gradually heat up as the oven is preheating. We will do a steam bake.

Why I bake with a baking stone and do steam bake (eventhough the bread is baked in a loaf pan):

• If you don't want to use a baking stone/baking steel, you can skip it. The reason why I use it because for a lean dough like this, the stone/steel retains heat very well and gives the bread a really good rise. The steam bake also helps to keep the dough moist so it has time to rise tall before a crust is formed.

Baking:

• When the oven is ready, use a bread lame or very sharp pointy knife to make a score in the middle of the loaf, about 1/2-inch deep. The bread will burst nicely following this score line. Spray the dough with some water. Put this inside the oven on top of the preheated baking stone/pan.
• Lower the temperature to 400 F (200 C) for conventional and 385 F (195 C) for convection, and bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the pan with water. Continue baking for the next 30 minutes (start checking at around 30 minutes) or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the dough reads at least 200 F (93 C). If it's not done, bake another 5 minutes and check again.

Cooling:

• Remove from the oven and place it on a cooling rack. Let it stand for about 1 minute
  
• Gently shake it out from the loaf pan and let it cool on the cooling rack completely. Do not attempt to slice into a hot or warm bread
  

Storing:

• Slice the bread from the middle when ready to serve and keep the two cut halves facing each other tightly and keep them in a bread bag or an air-tight container for 2-3 days. For longer storage, I recommend storing them in a freezer. Place the sliced bread in a bread bag, push all the air out and seal. Then I like to put this into a freezer bag for double protection. When ready to serve, you can thaw at room temperature or you can toast it while it's still frozen