Ingredients:

• 500g bread flour
• 100g active, bubbly sourdough starter
• 20g honey
• 350g liquid
  • 200g bourbon of your choice, simmered for 15-20 min, cooled (this will reduce it quite a bit and lower the alcohol content)
  • 6-8 dashes of Angostura bitters
  • water for the remainder
• 12g salt

Inclusions:

• Zest from 1 naval orange
• Dried cherries, soaked in bourbon 1-2 hours and drained

Start by weighing your reduced bourbon in a large mixing bowl. Then add your bitters. Next, add enough water to get your total liquids to 350g. Now add your starter and honey and stir with a spoon or dough whisk until milky. Then add flour and mix until a shaggy dough forms. Switch to mixing by hand until all flour is incorporated. Cover and rest for 1 hour. Measure your salt in a separate dish and set near your mixing bowl so you don’t forget to add it later.

After 1 hour, add salt and perform a set of stretch and folds. Cover and rest for 30 minutes. You will perform three more folds (I prefer coil folds), 30-45 minutes apart. Add your orange zest and bourbon soaked cherries during the 2nd and 3rd fold. Measure with your heart.

After the last fold, transfer your dough to a clear container to finish bulk fermenting. Let rise until it’s grown by about 75%.

Once your dough has risen the appropriate amount, spritz your counter lightly with water. Dump your dough onto the counter and stretch it into a rectangle. Next tri-fold the rectangle. Roll the dough log up snuggly, pinching the edges as you go. Using cupped hands and a push-pull motion, rotate the dough to create surface tension, being careful not to tear it.

Transfer your dough seam side up to a rice flour dusted banneton or tea towel lined bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 12-24 hours (I usually do overnight).

Preheat your oven and dutch oven to 450F. Remove your dough from the fridge after the oven is preheated.

Flip dough onto parchment paper or a bread sling. Dust with rice flour and score. Bake in your dutch oven covered for 30 minutes. Then remove the lid and lower the heat to 400F. Bake at 400F for an additional 20 minutes, or until internal temperature is 205-210F. Cool for at least 2 hours before cutting.