Add all of the ingredients into a stand mixer bowl.

Use the whisk attachment and whisk for 5 minutes on mixer speed 2. The dough will come away from the bottom and sides of the bowl after mixing and won’t be sticking to anything.

Cover mixing bowl with plastic wrap.

Every 30 minutes, 3 different times, turn on the kitchen aid and let it mix on speed 2 until the dough comes away from the bowl. (This took maybe 10 seconds each time)

Remove bowl from stand mixer. (I helped shape the dough into a ball until the top was smooth by tucking the sides under the ball). Cover mixing bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for 5-7 hours, until it’s almost double in size. (helpful tip: I have a chart in my highlight bubble on my instagram that helps you judge how long to bulk ferment your sourdough. This chart is really helpful because it prevents under and over fermenting any loaf! You just take the temp of the dough at the start of the 3 mixes and it'll tell you how many hours it should take your dough to ferment on the counter based off of what the starting temp of the dough was.)

Dump dough out onto a countertop and pull it out into a rectangle shape. Stretch it out thin. (if you were going to mix anything into the dough, like a shredded butter stick or something like that, now is the time to put it on top of the stretched out though. Just like you would a cinnamon roll) Take the two sides and fold them into the center so the outer edges meet in the middle of the rectangle. Next roll the strip of dough that’s left up from one end to the other, just like a cinnamon roll. Roll the dough on the counter just liked you’d shape a regular roll and shape the dough into a ball. The top should be smooth. (tip: this step really helps create surface tension. This method gives me nice round loaves, like soccer balls)

Sprinkle the top of the ball with flour so that when you add it to the banneton basket, it will not stick.

Put the ball of dough into a heavily floured banneton, making sure that the top of the ball touches the banneton and the bottom is facing outwards, towards the ceiling.

If baking same day, let the dough rise in the banneton until it's nice and jiggly (mine typically takes a couple hours). Preheat the oven when it gets close to a good jiggle.

note: If you are not going to make the loaf the same day, just put the entire banneton into the fridge. (tip: The dough can sit in the fridge for 12 to 48 hours. I do not recommend leaving it in for 48 hours, but I’ve done it in the past. Less than 12 hours I’ve found is best, with the least amount of sticking to my banneton.)

After it rests on the counter and gets jiggly, or after 12 hours in the fridge - Get a piece of parchment and dump the loaf out of the banneton. Score the top of the loaf and add 4 ice cubes between the parchment and the dutch oven walls. Add loaf to Dutch oven and cover with a lid.

Bake at 450 for 30 minutes covered. Turn the oven temp down to 425 and bake an additional 12-15 minutes uncovered. (I do not preheat my Dutch oven) I use an instant read thermometer and check to make sure the loaf is at least 205 degrees before I turn off my oven.

Let the loaf cool for at least 1 hour before slicing. (tip: If you cut it while it’s steaming hot, the inside will not develop like it should and you could end up with a gummy loaf.)

Enjoy!