Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups + of hot water
5 cups of bread flour
2 TBS of salt
2 TBS of lemon juice
Zest for one whole lemon
100 g of starter
1 stick of butter, softened
1 cup of brown sugar
2 TBS of cinnamon
lemon juice from one small lemon,
1/2 cup + of powdered sugar
Step 1: Start the Autolyze process at 3pm and time the starter to be ready by 5pm.
Step 2: Autolyze 2 1/2 cups of hot water with 5 cups of bread flour, zest from 1 lemon, and 2 TBS of fresh lemon juice, until you get a sticky, but not watery texture. Add extra water or flour if necessary. Cover and let that sit until your starter is ready. About 2 hours.
*If it takes longer for your starter to be ready, that’s okay. The Autolyze process can go up to 24 hours before it breaks down.
Step 3: When your starter is ready, add 100g to your dough as well as 1-2 TBS of salt and pinch it in (the salt helps strengthen the gluten)
Step 4: Cover and let rest for 30 minutes. Do 4 stretch and folds every 30 minutes (it can be stretch and folds, coil folds, kneading, and the Rubaud method – I intermix them)
Step 5: Then I cover and let rise on the counter at about 70 + degrees until about 60-70 percent proofed. Once it has proofed to 60-70 percent, I finish my proof in the refrigerator overnight.
Step 6: In the morning, I soften 1 stick of butter, add 1 cup of brown sugar, and 2 TBS of cinnamon (adjust to your taste) and stir until all 3 ingredients are mixed.
Step 7: The dough should look bigger than the night before. If it’s not, it may need more proofing time in a warm environment. If that’s the case, proof until finished, place in the freezer for 30 min and then carry on with this step. I take out the dough, pour onto a floured surface, like a cutting board, and stretch it into a rectangle.
Step 8: spread the cinnamon mixture over your dough 1 inch from the edges.
Step 9: Do the typical shaping. This can make 1-2 loaves depending on how big you like your loaves.
After I shape it, I let it rest for 10 minutes and then reshape to continue to build the tension.
*If it looks like the dough will tear, skip the second shaping and move onto the next step.
Step 10: Place your dough on a silicone bread sling or high-quality parchment paper and score. Have fun with the scoring, as long as it has one deep cut.
Step 11: Turn the oven onto 425. If the dough is still cold, put it in the Dutch Oven during the preheat stage and bake for 35 min.
Step 12: After 35 min at 425, I turn down to 400 and take the lid off of the Dutch oven for 25 min.
Step 13: Take your bread out and let it cool on a cooling rack or cutting board.
Step 14: Once it has cooled completely, take the juice from one lemon (I use a small one), and add powdered sugar to it to create a paste. (1/2 cup +) you may need to microwave it to get the clumps to dissolve.
Step 15: Drizzle the lemon mixture over your loaf and allow to harden. Then serve.
