a big bloom and crackling crust

You can tell a good crust by the way it crackles.

I mixed up this mostly-white loaf in the evening, and let it ferment overnight. By the morning, when I stretched and folded it a few times the dough felt pillowy but not too sticky. And during its long proof, it began to peek out from the top of the banneton.

All that airiness led to a great bloom, and the high-volume loaf had a wonderful open crumb. I also pushed the loaf during baking, leaving it in the oven 40 minutes total. The long bake and the high percentage of white flour led to a strong crust (note the thickness of the carmelization on the slice in the header image). Later, cooling on the counter, the bread crackled gently (and sometimes less gently), eventually leaving scars on the cooled loaf.