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track.
    Whether you’re warming your starter up from hibernation in the fridge or just keeping it going on your counter, once your starter is nice and strong, you’ll “build” to your mix. That is, 12 hours before the mix, you’ll make a batch of starter sized for two things: enough to fulfill the needs of the recipe, and some extra to carry on the starter until the next batch. If you’re building a different style of sourdough starter, say, a stiff starter with rye flour called a levain, you’ll still carry on that liquid starter in a separate container. For example, if you’re making Pain au Levain, 12 hours before the bake you’ll use a small amount of liquid to make the stiffer levain starter. At the same time, you’ll take another portion of the liquid and use that to carry your starter into the future, be it in cold storage or at room temperature. To simplify, just make sure you always have a bit of liquid starter left over to keep for your next batch of bread. Carry on the life cycle! It’s the Baby Bee—or whatever you decide to call it.
    NORTH SHORE SOURDOUGH
    THE “WHEREVER-YOU-ARE” SOURDOUGH
    This is the most basic sourdough we make at the bakery. We make it right from the Liquid Sourdough Starter, flake it with some whole wheat to give it a bit of color and texture and bake it to a beautifully dark golden brown. We call ours the North Shore Sourdough because of the culture’s propensity toward adapting itself to the natural bacteria in a particular location. That’s a major part of what gives sourdoughs their distinctive flavors. So, wherever you are, develop your culture, bake this bread and call it your own.
OVERVIEW
    • Yield: Two 1 lb 12 oz/800-g loaves
    • Desired Dough Temperature: 85°F/30°C
    • Mixing Time: 40 minutes
    • Bulk Fermentation: ~3 hours
    • Proofing Time: ~2 hours
    • Baking Time: ~25 minutes
    • Cooling Time: ~3 hours
12 HOURS BEFORE THE BAKE
    Mix your final starter. This will be enough for the bread formula, plus some extra to carry on the starter.
    12.5 oz/350 ml 75°F/20°C water
    2.5 oz/65 g liquid sourdough
    10 oz/280 g white bread flour
BAKING DAY
    1 lb 5.5 oz/640 g white bread flour
    3.25 oz/90 g whole wheat flour
    1 lb 6.5 oz/630 g liquid sourdough
    13.25 oz/375 ml 95°F/35°C water
    2 tsp/14 g fine sea salt
    Combine both flours into your large mixing bowl. Pour your sourdough and water into another large bowl, and remember to keep that water warm to give your wild yeast a comfortable atmosphere to grow. Then, dump your flours on top of the liquid ingredients, and mix it by hand for about 30 seconds, until it comes together in a shaggy mass. Don’t forget to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl regularly; you want all of that flour hydrated and don’t want to see any dry spots. Set aside in a warm place, at least 80°F/25°C, for 30 minutes. If you’re having trouble finding your warm place, it’s time to use your trusty heat lamp.

    Sprinkle the salt on top of the dough, and grab a four-finger pinch of the dough and pull. It should stretch out like chunky taffy rather than just tear off. Incorporate the salt into the dough, continuously pushing the sides of the dough into the middle while turning the bowl. After a minute of this, the dough should be pulling away from the sides of the bowl and developing a bit of a sheen, and you shouldn’t feel any crunchy salt crystals. Cover the bowl, and put it in your warm place for 30 minutes.
    Turn your dough out onto a lightly floured surface and give it your four-fold (see here ). It should make a tight little package—this is how we’re building the dough’s strength, and after every fold the dough’s volume should increase. It should consistently feel warm and active. Roll the dough over and place it, seam side down, back into the bowl. Repeat this four-fold procedure every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours (you’ll fold the dough four times in total), until the dough is strong but puffy, warm to the