Recipe by Gabrielle Prud'homme.

In a clean bowl, mix the starter and water with your fingers until the starter has mostly dissolved and the mixture is frothy. Mix in flour with your hands until it is well incorporated and there are no dry pockets of flour. The dough should feel slightly sticky, but not overly wet. Add additional flour or water, if needed. Let rest, covered for 20 to 30 minutes.

Sprinkle salt evenly over the surface of the dough. With wet hands, dimple and pinch in salt to mix evenly, gently squishing and folding the dough in on itself while trying to avoid tearing the dough (if the dough seems stiff, now is a good time to add a small amount of water). Let rest, covered for 20 to 30 minutes.

Gently stretch and fold the dough over itself four times, rotating 90 degrees after each fold. Let rest. After 20 to 30 minutes, repeat another set of stretches and folds.

Allow the dough to rest, covered, at room temperature for a total of three to five hours until it has a slightly domed top and bubbles are visible on the surface. Once it has increased slightly in volume, the dough should have evenly dispersed bubbles throughout.

Gently ease the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Place one hand in the centre of your dough and, working your way clockwise around the dough, fold in the corners to form a tight boule. Flip your boule over and drag the dough across the surface towards you with both hands. Turn it 90 degrees and repeat, turning and dragging a few times until you have a taught ball. Let rest for10 minutes.

Flip your dough over onto a lightly floured surface. Mold your dough into your desired shape using your preferred shaping method. Place the dough seam-side up into a floured proofing basket or bowl lined with a generously floured towel. Put in refrigerator to proof overnight (8 to 16 hours) and remove from refrigerator immediately before baking.

Preheat the oven and a Dutch oven or other oven-proof lidded baking vessel to 500F for 30 minutes.

Turn out the dough onto crumpled parchment paper, score with a bread lame or sharp knife and carefully transfer it to a hot baking vessel, lifting the edges of the parchment paper like a sling. Immediately reduce temperature to 450F and bake, covered for 20 minutes.

Remove lid and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, until it reaches your desired colour and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Allow to cool for at least one hour before slicing. Then, slather your first slice in butter and share it with a friend.