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Sourdough boule with a stenciled flour leaf pattern on a wooden board beside a knife
Desi

Flour-Stencil Sourdough Boule

A simple sourdough boule decorated with a dusted flour stencil, with tips for cutting the stencil and getting a crisp, high-contrast design.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Rest / Ferment Time 14 hours
Total Time 15 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 12 slices
Course: Bread
Cuisine: American
Calories: 150
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 450 g (about 3¾ cups) bread flour
  • 315 g (1⅓ cups) water, lukewarm
  • 90 g (about 6 tbsp) active sourdough starter
  • 9 g (1½ tsp) fine salt
  • 20 g (3 tbsp) rice flour, divided, for the banneton and the stencil

Equipment

  • Parchment paper and small sharp scissors or a craft knife
  • Fine-mesh sieve
  • Dutch oven
  • Lame or sharp knife
  • Banneton or bowl
  • Instant-read thermometer
  • Mixing bowl
  • Kitchen scale

Method
 

  1. Whisk the starter into the lukewarm water (about 80°F) until fully dissolved, then add the flour and mix. Rest 30 minutes, then add the salt and do four sets of stretch and folds, 30 minutes apart.
  2. Bulk ferment at room temperature for 4 to 6 hours total, until about 50 percent bigger with a domed top and a few bubbles.
  3. Shape into a tight round, place seam side up in a banneton dusted with half the rice flour, and refrigerate 8 to 14 hours.
  4. Cut a bold stencil with large openings from parchment paper.
  5. Preheat a Dutch oven with its lid at 475°F (245°C) for 45 minutes.
  6. Turn the cold loaf onto parchment, lay the stencil on top, sift the remaining rice flour over it in a light layer, and lift the stencil straight up.
  7. Score one curved cut about ¼ inch deep beside the design.
  8. Bake covered for 30 minutes, then uncovered at 450°F (230°C) for 15 minutes, until the center reads about 205°F (96°C). Cool 1 hour.

Notes

Use cold dough, a bold simple stencil cut from parchment, and rice flour for the cleanest, whitest design. Dust lightly and lift the stencil straight up, then score one cut beside the design.