With the arrival of fall comes the joy of having the house filled with the addictive aromas of meaty stews, roasted vegetables, and every variety of freshly baked breads and desserts. A few days before we dismantled the kitchen for our remodel, I pulled this favorite sourdough recipe out of my arsenal and baked it to accompany the roasted butternut squash lasagna that I shared last month.
The recipe I share today is a mashup of several bread recipes I have tried from an amazing blog called “The Fresh Loaf.” The site is a virtual community and message board for sourdough lovers—from novice to expert—and over the years, I have gained invaluable wisdom by eavesdropping on the conversations of those I consider to be far advanced of my own skills. I was barely beginning my own sourdough journey when I discovered TFL, but the pictures and formulas I found there inspired me to attempt new techniques, and I now proudly consider myself to be an “intermediate” bread maker.
One of the methods I learned is baking with steam, a simple technique that results in a perfectly crusty yet chewy exterior and lovely crumb texture that the aficionados would call “gelatinized.” Breads made with this steam-baked method make fantastic toast and sandwiches (especially grilled cheese).
The generous amounts of onion and sage I’ve added to this loaf also make it perfect for Thanksgiving stuffing or dressing, or you can follow my lead with any stale leftovers and turn it into savory croutons for hearty salads and all the soups you’ll be simmering during the autumn and winter months ahead.
Besides the intoxicating fall-scented flavors, this loaf also uses a pre-ferment, which is a fancy way of describing a pumped-up sourdough starter, and a soaker, which is nothing more than grains (in this instance, corn) that have been soaked overnight in water—a technique that coaxes the deepest flavors out of the grain and into the bread.
The pre-ferment is a next-level feeding of my ripe starter. 
Polenta is soaked overnight, then drained. But keep the soaking water!
The kneading method used for this bread is also a bit different. It’s called “stretch and fold,” and it is an easy way to build strength in dough with a high volume of water, without so much messy, sticky kneading. Try this a few times, and you will be astonished at the elastic texture and volume achieved in the bread dough.
Wet hands and a silicone spatula help me get started with my first round of stretch and folds. 
Stretch upward until the dough resists, then fold it toward the front edge of the bowl. 
Press down when you fold, to push out trapped gas.
If this all seems confusing, trust me, it isn’t. I have found sourdough baking to be joyfully simple once you get the hang of it. As I mentioned last fall when I made the sourdough pumpkin challah, this kind of baking—naturally leavened and slow-fermented—is like a good relationship; the more you open yourself up to it, the more it comes back to you until you finally reach a point of familiarity that you can’t imagine ever buying a loaf of bread at the grocery store.
One more note: I strongly recommend measuring ingredients by weight when baking any kind of bread, but especially sourdough. Weight measuring takes the guesswork out of your ingredient ratios, and you can find an inexpensive, easy-to-use kitchen scale just about anywhere, including Walmart (where I bought mine).
That’s my story, and this is my favorite sourdough for autumn. I hope the pictures entice my fellow sourdough bakers to give it a go, and if you scroll to the bottom of the post, you’ll find a downloadable PDF for your recipe files. My ingredients are listed in grams (sorry, no volume measurements), so go on and get your kitchen scale and get baking.
Enjoy!
Add water to the soaking water until you have the total amount. No sense wasting that flavor! 
Re-hydrate the dried onions with just enough water to cover them. 
Combine the pre-ferment, soaker and water in a stand mixer bowl. 
Add poultry seasoning to the flour blend for extra savory fall flavor! 
The dough will ball up on the beater blade. Scrape it off the beater, then let it rest. 
Dump the hydrated onions onto the dough, followed by the salt. I used Himalayan pink salt so you can see it! 😉 
After a 45 minute rest, use the dough hook to knead in the onions and salt. 
Rinse and dry the fresh sage leaves, about this much. 
It measures approximately 1 tablespoon when finely chopped. 
Knead the sage into the dough. Cover and rest 30 minutes before the first set of stretch and folds. Stretch upward until the dough resists, then fold it toward the front edge of the bowl. Wet your hands to prevent sticking. Press down when you fold, to push out trapped gas. 
Rotate the bowl and fold the opposite sides of the dough, so that all four sides have been folded onto each other. Repeat this twice at 20 minute intervals. 
By the third stretch and fold, the dough is noticeably stronger and puffier. 
You can do the final stretch and fold by lifting it out of the bowl. Be sure to squeeze the fat air bubbles out. 
Shape the dough into a ball by folding the edges to the center, and continue this while rotating the dough around. 
Tuck and pinch the bottom of the dough to seal it and place it on parchment paper. Cut darts in the paper so that it doesn’t wrinkle in the lidded baker. 
I usually trim the excess parchment so the lid fits better without folding it onto the bread. 
When dough is puffy and fully proofed, score it with a lame tool or a sharp knife, but make it quick and decisive! 
The score should be about 1/2″ deep into the dough, and this will give steam inside the dough an easy escape. 
Bake at 450° F for 20 minutes with the lid on, then remove the lid and bake for 25 more minutes. 
Be still, my heart! This smells amazing. 
Internal temperature should be 205° F. This one is done!
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