STEP 3 — Bulk Ferment Begins: Combine & Mix

STEP 3 — Bulk Ferment Begins: Combine & Mix

When the levain is tripled and the autolyse has rested an hour:

1. Scoop all of the levain onto the autolyse dough. Scrape the levain jar clean — every last gram matters.
2. Sprinkle the 9 g of kosher salt evenly over the surface. Even distribution makes it easier to mix in.
3. Add the reserved 20 g of warm water on top.
4. Mix with your hands. Squeeze the dough through your fingers, fold, pinch, repeat. It will feel sticky, shaggy, and wet at first. Keep going for several minutes until it's homogeneous, sticky-tacky, and holds its shape.
5. Once the mass holds together as one ball, lift it above the bowl, twist and squeeze it once or twice to seal it, then drop it back in.
6. Use a few clean fingers to pick up dough scraps clinging to the bowl and your hands. Add them back to the main dough.
7. Cover. Rest 30 minutes.