From the cabin kitchen

Cabin sourdough.

A loaf worth heating the oven for: a crackly, deeply browned crust, an open and custardy crumb, and that faint tang only time can give. No mixer, no fuss — just flour, water, salt, a lively starter, and a Dutch oven. The dough does most of the work overnight while you sleep.

What you'll need

A Dutch oven (4–6 qt, with a lid) is the one piece that matters — it traps steam for that bakery crust. A banneton or a bowl lined with a floured linen towel, a bench scraper, and a sharp blade or paring knife for scoring round it out. A kitchen scale makes this far more reliable than cups; grams are listed first for that reason.

Method

Day one — morning

1. Feed your starter. 4–6 hours before mixing, feed your starter so it's at its peak when you begin. It's ready when it's doubled, domed, and floats in water. (No starter yet? See the note at the bottom.)
2. Autolyse. In a large bowl, stir the 500 g bread flour and 50 g whole-wheat into the 350 g water just until no dry flour remains. Cover and rest 45–60 minutes. This hydration step builds strength with zero kneading.
3. Mix in starter & salt. Add the 100 g starter and 11 g salt. Pinch and fold the dough through your fingers for a minute or two until everything is smooth and cohesive. Cover.

Day one — bulk fermentation (about 4–6 hours)

4. Stretch & fold. Over the first 2 hours, do 3–4 sets of stretch-and-folds, ~30 minutes apart: wet one hand, grab an edge, stretch it up and fold it over the center; rotate the bowl and repeat 4 times. The dough will go from shaggy to smooth and elastic.
5. Let it rise. Cover and leave it to ferment at warm room temperature (~75°F) until it's risen by 50–75%, looks puffy and jiggly, and shows a few bubbles on top. Cooler cabin? It simply takes longer — watch the dough, not the clock.
6. Pre-shape. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured counter. With a bench scraper, gently pull it into a loose round and let it rest, uncovered, 20–30 minutes.
7. Shape the boule. Flour the top, flip it over, and fold the edges into the center to build tension. Roll it seam-side down and drag it toward you a few times to tighten the skin. Place it seam-side up in a well-floured banneton (or towel-lined bowl).

Day one — overnight

8. Cold proof. Cover the banneton and refrigerate 12–16 hours. The cold slow-proof deepens the flavor and makes the chilled dough easy to score in the morning.

Day two — bake

9. Preheat. Put the empty Dutch oven (with its lid) in the oven and heat to 500°F for a full 45 minutes — a screaming-hot pot is what gives you oven spring.
10. Score. Turn the cold dough out onto parchment. Dust off excess flour and, with a sharp blade held at a shallow angle, make one confident ½-inch-deep slash (or a simple cross). This controls where the loaf opens.
11. Bake covered. Lower the dough (on its parchment) into the hot pot, lid on. Drop the oven to 475°F and bake 20 minutes — the trapped steam sets that blistered crust.
12. Bake uncovered. Remove the lid and bake another 20–25 minutes, until deeply golden-brown (don't be shy — color is flavor). Internal temp should read about 205–210°F.
13. Cool — really. Lift the loaf onto a rack and let it cool at least 1 hour before slicing. Cutting too soon makes the crumb gummy; you'll hear it crackle (“singing”) as it sets.

No starter yet?

You can build one from just flour and water in about 5–7 days: combine equal weights of whole-wheat (or rye) flour and water, then discard half and refeed with equal parts bread flour and water every day until it's doubling reliably and smells pleasantly sour. Or skip the wait and ask a baking friend for a scoop of theirs — sourdough is meant to be passed around the table.

Tag us when you bake it — we'd love to see your crumb. And if you're outfitting the kitchen, our cabin kitchen picks (Dutch oven, linen, stoneware) are the tools we reach for.