The Fugue

If you're blessed enough to have a kitchen scale, here's my version of the recipe that the last few posts have been about:

450  g   flour
325  ml  water
1.25 tsp salt
0.25 tsp instant yeast

Mix, cover, let sit for 12-18 hours. Dusting surface and hands as necessary, spread the dough out on the counter and fold like an envelope. Shape into boule/bâtard/loaf/really big baguette/whatever, and let rise until the dough doesn't spring back quickly when poked. Slash and bake at 500°F in a preheated cloche or heavy metal pan with lid for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and bake to your favorite shade of brown (another 10-20 minutes).

I actually measured how much a cup of flour weighs this evening, something I've been meaning to do. Relative humidity is 61% at present, and a cup of scooped King Arthur whole wheat flour is about 135 grams. A cup of Gold Medal all purpose flour is about 150 grams. Since whole wheat absorbs more water anyway, I'm going with the convenient 150 grams. 325 ml water is about 72% hydration, and actually a bit shy of what the original recipe called for (355 ml). I like 72%, it's a nice number that has worked well for me in the past.