In a small jar, combine the starter, bread flour, and water. Stir thoroughly until no dry flour remains. Cover loosely and leave at room temperature (72-76°F / 22-24°C).

The levain is ready when it has doubled (or more), smells pleasantly tangy, and the surface is domed or just beginning to fall. At 74°F (23°C), this takes 5-8 hours. In a warmer kitchen, check at 4 hours.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the bread flour, water, olive oil, honey, and ripe levain. Mix on low speed just until a shaggy dough forms — about 2-3 minutes. Do not add salt yet. Cover and rest 30-45 minutes.

Sprinkle the salt over the rested dough. Mix on low speed for 2 minutes, then increase to medium speed and knead for 7-9 minutes until the dough is smooth and slightly tacky. It should clear the sides of the bowl and feel elastic.

Pull a small piece of dough and stretch it gently. It should stretch thin and slightly translucent before tearing. Sourdough dough won't windowpane quite as dramatically as commercial yeast dough, but you should get a clear, elastic stretch without immediate tearing.

Move the dough to a lightly oiled bowl or straight-sided container. Mark the level with a rubber band or tape so you can track growth.

At 30-minute intervals, perform a set of stretch-and-fold: with a wet hand, grab one side of the dough, stretch it up high, fold it over to the other side. Rotate 90 degrees and repeat four times. Do this at the 30-minute, 60-minute, and 90-minute marks. After the third set, leave the dough undisturbed.

At 72-76°F (22-24°C), bulk fermentation takes approximately 4-5 hours total from when you added the levain. Look for 50-75% growth, a domed top, visible bubbles at the edges, and a dough that jiggles as a single mass when you shake the container. At 17% inoculation, this is a slow build. Don't rush it.

For best flavor and easiest morning shaping, after the three stretch-and-fold sets (90 minutes in), cover the container tightly and refrigerate overnight — 8-16 hours. The cold slows fermentation, builds flavor, and makes the dough firmer and easier to shape precisely. Pull it from the fridge and shape directly, no warm-up needed.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Using a bench scraper, divide into 6 pieces at approximately 120g each. Weigh each piece — consistency here means consistent rolls.

For each piece: gently flatten into an oval with your fingertips — not a circle, an oval. You're already moving toward the final shape. The gluten in cold dough is tight; use light, confident pressure.

Cover with a kitchen towel and rest 20-25 minutes. If working from cold dough, the bench rest also allows the dough to temper slightly, which makes final shaping easier. Sourdough dough at fridge temperature is stiffer than yeasted dough at room temp — the extra bench rest matters more here.

Gently press each rested piece into an oval with your fingertips. Aim for about 5 inches wide and 7-8 inches long. Work from center to edges.

Stretch the two short ends outward slightly to lengthen. Fold each end in about 1 inch toward the center. This establishes the tapered ends.

Fold the top long edge down to the middle and press firmly with your fingertips along the entire length.

Rotate 180 degrees. Fold the other long edge to the center and press firmly to seal.

Fold the top half all the way over to the bottom edge. Use the heel of your hand to seal the seam firmly along the full length.

Seam-side down, roll gently with both hands to 8-9 inches. Taper the ends slightly with more pressure at the tips. Place seam-side down in a greased hoagie mold or on parchment-lined baking sheet.

Cover the shaped rolls loosely. Proof at room temperature (72-76°F / 22-24°C) until visibly puffed — 50-75% larger than their shaped size. From cold dough, this takes 1.5-2.5 hours. From room-temperature dough, closer to 60-90 minutes.

About 30 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 450°F (232°C) with a metal pan on the lower rack.

Press a floured finger gently into the side of a roll. Slow spring-back is ready. Immediate spring-back needs more time. No spring-back means bake immediately.

Brush lightly with egg white wash if you want a shiny crust. Skip for a more rustic, matte finish.

Using a lame at a 30-35 degree angle, make 3-4 overlapping diagonal cuts across each roll, each about 2.5-3 inches long and ½ inch deep. Each cut should begin before the last one ends — overlapping like baguette scores. One confident long slash down the center also works. Hesitation gives you torn, ragged cuts. Commit to each score.

Pour 1 cup of boiling water into the preheated metal pan. Load the rolls immediately and close the oven door.

Bake at 450°F (232°C) with steam for 10 minutes. Don't open the door.

Remove the steam pan (or vent the oven briefly). Continue baking 10-12 more minutes at 450°F (232°C) until deep golden brown. Internal temperature 200-205°F (93-96°C).

Transfer immediately to a wire rack. The crust crisps as it cools. Give them at least 20-30 minutes before cutting.

Flatten each piece into an oval, not a round. Already moving toward the final shape.

Critical for cold dough. The gluten needs to relax before it will extend properly.

Fingertips, not rolling pin. 5 inches wide, 7-8 inches long.

Extend short ends, fold each in 1 inch.

Top long edge folds to middle. Press firmly.

Other long edge folds to middle. Press firmly.

Fold top half fully over. Seal entire seam with heel of hand.

Gentle, even pressure. Taper ends.

At least 30 minutes full preheat.

Load rolls immediately. Close door.

Hands off.

Deep golden. Internal temp 200-205°F (93-96°C).