Sourdough bread with hearts

Mix the wholemeal flour, the bread flour, 250 grams of the water and the active sourdough starter in a box until there is no dry flour left, and let it rest for 30 to 60 minutes. This is fermentolyse: the flour, water and sourdough starter rest together from the beginning, the flour absorbs the water and the gluten starts to build while the fermentation is already working.

Start kneading, by hand or with a standing mixer. I work with the Wilfa ProBaker, which holds heavy doughs without the motor getting tired in the middle of a long kneading, and you have a discount code ofri7 on the Wilfa website. While kneading, add the 50 grams of water we kept aside a drop at a time. Wait for each addition of water to be completely absorbed by the dough before adding the next one, and that's how you reach 75% hydration without the dough falling apart.

After a few minutes of kneading, add the salt along with the last drop of water, and continue kneading until the dough is uniform and smooth, detaches from the sides of the box and passes the window test. With 50% wholemeal flour the dough will feel a little coarser than white dough, which is perfectly fine.

Leave the dough in the same box, close with a lid and start baking. A rectangular box with straight sides is better than a bowl because it doesn't need oil, it's easy to fold inside and the sides show exactly how much the dough has risen. Make a round of folding every 30 to 45 minutes for the first two hours, then let the dough rest until it almost doubles in volume and feels alive, plump and airy.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface, preshape and let rest for 20 minutes, then shape into a tight loaf and transfer to a floured basket with the seam facing up.

Put the basket in the fridge overnight. The cooling stabilizes the loaf, makes it easier to score and allows the hearts to come out sharp and precise.

Preheat an oven with a cast stone to 250°C at least 45 minutes before baking, so that the stone is really hot.

While the oven is heating up, cut out the hearts. Fold the baking paper in half, cut half a heart on the fold and open, just like in first grade. Cut out three to four hearts of different sizes, about 5 to 7 centimeters each.

Take the loaf out of the fridge and turn it over on a floured surface. Arrange the hearts on the dough at intervals, on one half of the loaf, and press them lightly so that they stick together.

Generously sift white flour over the whole loaf through a fine sieve, then lift each heart gently with the tip of a knife or tweezers without dragging it on the dough.

Cut one deep slash along the loaf, on the side without hearts, and slide on the stone. Bake for 15 minutes at 250°C with steam, then reduce to 230°C and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes. The floured area will remain white and the places that were under the hearts will turn brown, and this is how you get golden hearts on a white background.

Cool on a wire rack for at least two hours before slicing, otherwise the crumb will be crushed and the bread will be sticky.