Pan Bread with Sourdough Discard

Add flour, yeast, salt, water and sourdough discard to a large bowl and mix until a sticky homogeneous mass is formed. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes have passed, perform a stretch and fold, then another one after 20 minutes, and another one 20 minutes later. Let the dough continue its fermentation for an additional hour to 1.5 hours or until it just doubles in size. Don't let it increase in size more than that.

Gently turn the dough over onto a work surface and cut it in half with a serrated knife. Shape each piece into a log about as long as your bread pan, then place the logs seam side down into the liberally buttered bread pan. Cover each pan with a piece of paper towel (this will prevent sticking of the dough to the plastic wrap), then a plastic wrap. Let proof for about 1-2 hours or until the dough doubles in size.

Preheat the oven to 220°C. Fill another bread pan or similar with boiling water about halfway and carefully place it on the bottom of the preheated oven.

Transfer bread pans into the oven and bake at 220°C for 20 minutes.

After the 20 minutes is up, remove the water pan, decrease the temperature to 205°C and bake for an additional 25 minutes (30 minutes if you want a more crunchy crust).