FRENCH SOURDOUGH LOAF STEP 3 (PARTS 1 and 2 )

Step 3 is the dough . For the dough you will need 55ml of lukewarm water , 20 gm of sea salt ,230gm of bread flour,extra flour for dusting , a round basket ( about 9' wide and 4' high ), lined with a heavily floured linen tea towel .( I use a plastic colander for this ). To make the dough , stir the sponge batter well . Beat in the water and salt , then mix in enough of the bread flour to make a soft but not sticky dough . Turn out the dough on to a lightly floured work surface and knead for 10 minutes until firm and elastic . Return the dough to the bowl , cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise at normal room temperature until almost doubled in size , about 8- 12 hours . PART 2 .....STEP 3. Knock back the risen dough . Cut off 230 gm and set aside for making the next starter and place the resrved portion of dough into a greased plastic bag and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days , or leave the dough in a small non metallic bowl covered with a damp tea towel at room temperature for up 2 days , redampening the tea towel each day . Now shape the remaining dough into a ball and put it into the floured cloth lined basket , cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise at normal room temperature , until almost doubled in size , approx 8 hours .