The words that turn up in every recipe here, briefly explained.
Autolyse
Resting flour and water together before adding salt and levain. Gluten starts forming on its own, which means less kneading later.
Baker’s percentage
Every ingredient expressed as a percentage of the total flour weight. 1000 g flour and 750 g water is 75% hydration.
Bulk fermentation
The first rise, from mixing until shaping. Most of the flavour and structure is made here.
Ear
The raised, crisp flap of crust that forms along a shallow, angled score.
Hydration
Water as a percentage of flour. Higher hydration usually means a more open crumb and a stickier dough.
Levain
A portion of starter fed specifically to leaven one bake.
Oven spring
The rapid rise in the first minutes of baking, as gas expands and the yeast has one last burst of activity.
Retard
Slowing fermentation by refrigerating the dough, usually overnight. Adds flavour and makes the schedule flexible.