This is probably my 10th or so loaf, and I feel I finally nailed it and got the open crumb texture I’ve been craving. Also, huge bonus for this lovely looking ear!
What finally did it for me was two main things:
Letting the first bulk ferment go for at least 8 hours at room temp. I used to always only do 4-6 and the loaves were too dense
Getting a banneton to use for the cold proof after final shaping. This allowed me to take the loaf straight from the fridge and put directly into the Dutch oven while keeping the perfect shape and all the air bubbles in tact. Prior to this, I would have to scrape the shaped loaf out of the bowl from the fridge, and reshape it before baking. This always meant losing some of the structure that was developed during the cold proof.
Here’s the fully recipe I did:
3/4 cup of active starter
1 1/4 cup of warm water
3 1/2 cups of bread flour
Mix using stand mixer dough hook. Let the stand mixer run for 5-7 minutes to knead the dough until it becomes sticky and elastic.
4 stretch and folds at 30 minute intervals
Bulk ferment in a bowl covered with cling wrap for 8 hours on the counter.
Scrape out dough onto a heavily floured counter and shape into a ball. Cover the entire ball thoroughly with flower, then place into banneton seam side up.
Cold proof in the fridge overnight ~13hours
Preheat Dutch oven to 425. Score the dough. Bake for 25 minutes with the lid on, then 20 off.
by GeoTech84