Normandy Apple Bread

1. Before making the dough (at least 8 hours or the night before) you will need to start by making the sourdough levain “by taking 20 grams of unfed starter” and incorporate it with AP flour and 60 grams of water. Stir it until there is no flour bits left and loosely cover it with plastic wrap.
2. A couple of minutes before making the dough, start peeling and slicing apples and place them on a baking sheet. Let them cook for 45 minutes in a 200 degrees F oven, but make sure you are tossing them every 15 minutes.
3. Now, in a large bowl, mix the bread and whole-wheat flours with water along with the active levain. Cover it loosely with plastic wrap for 40 minutes.
4. Add yeast, salt, and apples and stir in the dough until well incorporated. Over the course of 2 hours, you will need to stretch and fold the dough after every 30 minutes.
5. On a lightly floured surface, put your dough and shape it into a boule. Let it rest for an additional 20 minutes.
6. Shape it into a boule again and put it in a proofing basket for 1 hour so it rises. During this rise period, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
7. Bake the bread for 25 minutes covered and for an additional 25-30 minutes uncovered. The bread needs to cool for 2 hours before you slice.

Trivia

• Normandy apples are commonly used in cooking and baking.
• Apples belong to the rose family.

Apples are the kind of fruits that can be grown all around the world.