Strawberry Almond Sourdough Loaf

In the morning when your starter has reached its peak, assemble your dough. 

In a large bowl, whisk together your active sourdough starter, honey, and water until the starter has dissolved and turned into a milky liquid. 

Add in the flour and salt, and mix together until a shaggy dough forms. 

Cover and let rest for 1 hour. 

After resting, pull one side of the dough up and towards the middle, repeating on all sides and rotating the bowl each time. Keep doing this until a semi-smooth dough forms. 

Cover and let rest for one hour. Do two more stretch and folds every hour. 

On the third stretch and fold, laminate your dough my transferring it to a clean workspace and stretching it out into a large rectangle, careful not to rip the dough. 

Sprinkle ½ cup of the diced strawberries, and 3 quarters of the sliced almonds all over the surface of the dough. 

Fold the short end of the dough up and towards the middle, repeating on the opposite side so the dough touches in the middle. Sprinkle the rest of the inclusions over the dough before folding everything into a ball. 

Cover your dough with a damp bowl cover or tea towel and let rest for 6-8 hours until it has visibly doubled in size. 

In the afternoon, when your dough has finished bulk fermenting and doubled in size in the bowl, turn it over onto a clean workspace. (if you want to lightly flour your space - that's fine, just be sure not to add to much flour or the dough won't stick together while shaping.)

Spread the dough out into a light rectangle shape, and shape into the proper size of your banneton. Boule - round shape. Batard - oval shape. 

Place seam side up into your banneton, cover and place in your fridge overnight. 

The next morning, preheat your Dutch oven to 475 degrees for at least 20 minutes. 

When your Dutch oven is nice and hot, turn your dough over onto a piece of parchment paper or bread mat. Using a sharp bread lame, score the top of your dough from one end to the other in a curved line. 

Carefully place the dough into a HOT Dutch oven. Cover with a lid and bake for 23 minutes. Remove the lid, reduce the heat of your oven to 450, and bake for an additional 25 minutes. 

When your bread is done, let it cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. 

Serve with butter and honey, on the side of a fresh spring salad. Enjoy!