Make starter In a medium bowl mix 220ml 100F-warm water (use a thermometer!) and 7g active dry yeast and let sit for 8-10 minutes until all bubbly. Then add in 220g flour and mix with a spatula. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise at room temperature for 12 hours (overnight).

Prepare the bread dough Add 800g flour, another 7g yeast salt, sugar and 480ml water and 20ml milk to the starter and knead on low for at least 20 minutes until the dough is sticky and elastic.

First rise Cover the bowl in which the dough was kneaded with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 45 minutes at room temperature.

Add apples Peel and core apple, cut into small pieces and fold into the bread dough little by little.

Second rise Transfer dough into a parchment paper lined bowl, cover with clean kitchen towel and let rise a second time for 45 minutes at room temperature. OR (preferred!): spread out a dish towel on the counter, sprinkle with abundant flour and corn meal and dump dough onto towel, then cover and let rise (see video for visual example).

Preheat oven and dutch oven 15 minutes into the second rise preheat the oven to 450F with the dutch oven with lid inside the oven. The oven and dutch oven have to heat up at least 30 minutes.

Bake the bread Take the dutch oven out of the oven carefully, lift the bread out of the bowl by holding the edges of the parchment paper up, turn around and dump into the burning hot dutch oven. OR take the turn the dish towel and dump the dough into the burning hot dutch oven. Place the lid on top and return into the oven. Bake 30 minutes with lid on and a further 10 minutes with lid off.

Cool Bread Take dutch oven out of oven, remove bread from dutch oven, place on a cooling rack and let cool down completely before cutting into bread.