Douglas Fir Levain Recipe

Build the levain

6–12 hours before mixing the dough (depending on starter activity and room temperature), combine 50 g active 100% hydration sourdough starter, 50 g bread flour and 50 g water in a clean jar. Stir until homogeneous, cover loosely, and let sit at room temperature until bubbly and doubled in volume.

Lightly rinse 15 g fresh young Douglas fir tips to remove grit. Bring 60 g water (reserved from dough water) just to a simmer, remove from heat, add the fir tips, cover and steep for 15 minutes. Strain the infusion through a fine sieve, press gently to extract liquid, and let cool to lukewarm. This creates a fragrant fir infusion used in the dough (included in the 360 g total water).

Autolyse

In a large bowl, combine 450 g bread flour, 50 g whole wheat flour and 300 g of the room-temperature water (reserve the fir infusion and 60 g separately). Mix until no dry flour remains and form a rough shaggy mass. Cover and rest for 30–45 minutes.

Mix with levain and salt

After autolyse, add the active levain (all of the levain build) and the remaining 60 g water which includes the cooled Douglas fir infusion and the 60 g reserved water. Sprinkle 11 g sea salt over the dough. Mix by hand: fold and press until the levain and salt are incorporated. Dough will be sticky but cohesive.

Add butter and honey

Add 60 g softened house cultured butter in small pieces and 10 g honey. Use a series of squeeze-and-fold motions to incorporate the butter fully. Work the dough until the butter is dispersed and the dough becomes shiny and smoother (about 6–10 minutes of intermittent mixing).

Bulk fermentation with stretch-and-folds

Cover the bowl and let the dough rest at room temperature (about 24°C / 75°F) for 3–4 hours. Perform a set of four stretch-and-folds during the first 2 hours, spaced 20–30 minutes apart: lift one side of the dough and fold it over the center, rotate the bowl, repeat four times per set. After the last fold let the dough finish bulk fermenting until it has increased by about 30–50% and shows airy bubbles.

Turn the dough out gently onto a lightly floured surface. Pre-shape into a loose round by folding the edges into the center. Let rest uncovered 20 minutes to relax.

Final shape: tighten the round by cupping your hands and rotating the dough against the bench to create surface tension. Place seam-side up in a lightly floured banneton or bowl lined with a floured towel. Sprinkle a few small fir tips into the dough seam before final fold if you want more pronounced fir pockets (optional).

Proof: cover and refrigerate for 10–14 hours for an overnight cold proof, or proof at room temperature for 2–3 hours until puffy but not over-proofed.

Preheat oven and dutch oven: place a cast-iron or ceramic Dutch oven with its lid in the oven and preheat to 250°C (480°F) for at least 45 minutes.

Score and bake: when ready to bake, carefully invert the dough onto parchment, brush the top lightly with 15 g melted butter, score the loaf with a lame or sharp knife. Transfer to the hot Dutch oven, cover, and bake covered at 250°C (480°F) for 20 minutes.

Finish bake: after 20 minutes, remove the lid, reduce oven temperature to 230°C (450°F), and bake for an additional 18–25 minutes until the crust is deep golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 98–100°C (208–212°F).

Rest and finish: remove the loaf from the oven and brush again with melted butter. If desired, sprinkle a light pinch of coarse sea salt. Cool on a rack for at least 2 hours before slicing to allow crumb to set.