A moist and flavorful sourdough bread with polenta, rosemary and garlic
Mix all the ingredients of the levain and keep in a warm spot for 4 to 6 hours
Starter will be ready when it more than doubles in volume
Bring the water to a boil
Add in the polenta and stir
Cook until the water evaporates completely and polenta looks creamy (about 3 to 5 min)
Spread evenly on a baking sheet and allow to cool completely
Mix flour and water in a large bowl making sure all the flour is hydrated
Cover and autolyse for about 45 min
Mix the levain, polenta, rosemary, salt and garlic into the autolyse dough
Knead for about 5 min. Work with slightly wet hands so that the dough doesn't stick to your hands.
Give it one to two sets of stretch and folds until the dough tightens
Put the dough back in the bowl for bulk fermentation
Depending on the ambient temperature, this step will take 3 to 4 hours
Perform 4 to 6 sets of stretch and folds during this time (every 30 min)
If your dough still feels wet, add another set of stretch and fold
Remove the dough from the bowl onto your work surface and shape into a slight round
Leave uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes. If you have reduced liquid content, then cover the dough and let it relax
Lightly flour the counter and the top of the rounds and shape into a boule
Make sure there is even and strong tension at the top
Place into a cloth lined banneton, seam side up
Cover the banneton with a plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for 12 hours
One hour before baking, preheat your oven to 450 F and place the dutch oven with the lid on to preheat
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and invert it on a parchment paper
Score the bread and quickly remove your dutch oven from the preheated oven and remove the lid
Lower the bread along with the parchment paper into the dutch oven, cover and place it in the oven
Bake for 20 min with the lid on
Remove the lid and bake for another 25 min or until the desired color is achieved
Remove from the oven and cool on wire racks
Make sure the bread is completely cool before slicing