CHERRY CHOCOLATE SOURDOUGH LOAF

Stir together active starter and water. Add flour and salt, mixing well (it will be ragged looking). Cover with clean tea towel and let stand for 3 hours. After the first hour, add cherries and chocolate and combine the dough using wet hands by folding over the bottom of the dough to the top and pinching dough together. 

Every 30 minutes after, uncover the dough and fold and stretch it over on itself or repeat method in Step 1 if easier for you (as you do this, the dough will get smooth). When dough has doubled in size, cover and refrigerate it overnight.

Transfer dough to lightly floured surface and fold sections in thirds over the dough until you gather dough together. Using your hands, cup dough along work surface to create a tight ball shape. 

Once it’s nice and smooth, turn the dough into a banneton or well-floured bowl (the shape the loaf will be) and cover it with the tea towel. Let it stand for 2 hours or refrigerate overnight (if refrigerating, let it come to room temperature before baking).

Preheat oven to 450°F. When oven temperature has been achieved, place a heavy pot with a lid in the oven and heat for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, dump dough onto a heavily floured piece of parchment paper and, using an X-Acto knife or serrated knife, make a few slashes in the top of the dough. Let stand while pot is heating.

Remove hot pot from the oven with heavy oven mitts and place parchment paper and bread inside pot. Cover pot with lid and return to oven. Bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove lid and bake about 20 minutes longer or until crust is deep golden-brown. Remove bread from oven and place on cooling rack.