Ingredients:

• 500g bread flour
• 100g active, bubbly sourdough starter
• 2 tsp (10g) vanilla bean paste or extract
• 350g water
• 12g salt

Inclusions:

• 2 packages of Pillsbury Halloween sugar cookie dough (or other cookie dough of your choice)

Add your starter, vanilla bean paste, and water to a large mixing bowl and mix 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.

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

While your bread dough is rising, prep your cookie dough. Arrange the dough rounds in your preferred pattern on a sheet of parchment paper (I used 20 rounds in 4×5 rows). Let the dough sit out for 10 min or so to soften some. Put another sheet of parchment paper over the top and press the dough rounds together into one slab with your hands and/or a rolling pin. Then make another smaller slab (I used 10 rounds in 2×5 rows) with the same method. Return the dough to the refrigerator until you’re ready for it again.

Once your bread dough has risen the appropriate amount, spritz your counter lightly with water. Dump your dough onto the counter and stretch it into a rectangle. Place your larger cookie dough slab in the middle of the rectangle, and then fold the sides over to meet in the middle, pinching the dough together around the seams. Next add your smaller cookie dough slab, and roll the dough log up snuggly, pinching the edges as you go. Using cupped hands pull the dough towards you 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 uncovered for an additional 20 minutes, or until internal temperature is 205-210F. Optional – about 9-10 minutes before your bake ends, you can add some remaining cookie dough to the top of your loaf in the score. Cool for at least 2 hours before cutting.