10:00 PM – Starter Build: In a small glass jar, add your 5g of starter culture to 35g of water and whisk together cleanly. Stir in 30g of all-purpose or bread flour and 5g of rye flour. Mix thoroughly, cover loosely, and let it sit at room temperature 74–78°F (23–26°C) overnight for 8 to 10 hours until the starter reaches its peak and at least triples in volume.

10:00 PM – Polenta Soaker: Combine 50g of polenta with 60g of hot boiling water in a small saucepan. Cook and boil over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes until a thick paste forms. Cover tightly and let it soak on your counter overnight to soften the cornmeal starches completely.

7:00 AM – The Flavor Autolyse: In your stand mixer bowl, combine 250g of bread flour, 175g of water, and exactly 50g of your prepared overnight polenta soaker (reserve the other half for later). Mix with a spoon just until dry spots disappear. Cover and let rest for 1 full hour. During this autolyse, the flour fully hydrates to naturally activate early gluten development.

7:00 AM – Roasting the Garlic: Wrap 5 to 6 cloves of garlic tightly in a sheet of aluminum foil. Place into your oven and roast at 400°F (204°C) for 30 to 50 minutes until completely soft. Remove from the oven and let the cloves cool completely down to room temperature.

8:00 AM – Sourdough Starter Integration: Add 60g of your active overnight starter peak directly into the autolysed dough mass. Turn your mixing machine on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes (or use a KitchenAid mixer on speed 3 for 3 to 4 minutes) until the starter is completely incorporated. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes. (Alternative: If mixing by hand, incorporate the starter using the Rubaud or slap-and-fold method for 5 to 7 minutes).

8:30 AM – Salt Incorporation: Add your 6g of salt directly into the bowl. Mix on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes (or on a KitchenAid on speed 3 for 5 to 6 minutes) until the salt granules dissolve completely and the liquid is absorbed. The dough will pull together cleanly but should remain sticky on the bottom of the bowl. Let rest for 30 minutes at a stable warm temperature of 74–78°F (23–26°C).

9:00 AM – Polenta & Garlic Lamination: Spray your clean work surface lightly with water and wet your hands. Gently tip the sticky dough out and stretch it out as thin as possible across the table without tearing the matrix. Spread the remaining 50g of polenta soaker smoothly over the entire sheet, and scatter your cooled roasted garlic cloves evenly across the top. Fold the dough cleanly over onto itself into a neat package to trap the inclusions. Place into a container and let rest for 30 minutes.

9:30 AM – 1st Stretch & Fold: Wet your hands slightly. Lift one side of the dough up cleanly from the edge and fold it directly over the center. Repeat this action for all four quadrants of the dough mass to build structured vertical strength. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.

10:00 AM – 2nd Stretch & Fold: Execute your second structured round of quadrant folds to continue organizing the expanding gluten network. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.

10:30 AM – 3rd Stretch & Fold: Execute the third and final stretch-and-fold round. Cover and let the dough proof completely untouched for 30 minutes at a warm 76–80°F (24–27°C). The dough should look visibly lighter, show distinct surface bubbles, and hit a clean 40% to 50% volume rise. (Note: If your kitchen runs cool and the dough is proofing slowly, you can easily extend the rest windows between steps 8 through 10 up to 45 minutes each).

11:00 AM – Preshaping: Gently tip the expanded dough out onto your work surface and dust the top lightly with flour. Flip the mass over so the floured side faces directly down. Fold the outer edges cleanly onto itself so that the raw flour coating remains entirely on the outside of the loaf. Round the dough into a loose ball and let it rest on your counter completely uncovered for 30 minutes to relax the gluten.

11:30 AM – Final Shaping & Coating: Dust the top of the resting dough round with a light layer of whole wheat flour. Use a dough scraper to flip it over onto your counter so the floured side faces down. Pull the right two corners outward and fold them up over the center. Repeat this matching action across the left side. Roll the dough tightly away from you, shaping it into a smooth, taut, uniform log.

The Cornmeal Roll: Spray the exterior crown of your shaped roll generously with water using a spray bottle, then roll the wet top surface completely in a tray of cornmeal flour for a gorgeous, crunchy exterior texture.

Basket Stabilization & Fridge Retard: Transfer the shaped roll seam-side up into your well-floured proofing basket. Cover with plastic wrap and return the basket to a warm 78°F (26°C) environment for exactly 15 minutes to stabilize. Slide the basket directly into your refrigerator to rise slowly for 14 to 24 hours of cold fermentation retard at a stable 40°F (4°C).

Next Morning – Preheating: Preheat your oven to 500°F (260°C). Place your cast iron pan and lid onto the middle rack to heat up thoroughly for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Scoring & Loading: Remove the cold dough basket from the fridge. Flip it over gently onto a sheet of parchment paper and score the smooth cornmeal surface with one clean, long, deep cut using a sharp lame or razor blade.

The Steam Bake: Transfer the dough carefully onto the smoking hot cast iron pan base, drop the heavy lid down tightly to lock in the steam, and bake at 500°F (260°C) with the lid on for exactly 15 minutes.

The Open Bake: Carefully lift the hot lid off to expose the loaf, lower the oven temperature to 450°F (232°C), and continue baking bare for an additional 20 minutes until the crust turns an incredibly deep, golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack for 2 full hours before slicing!