Feed your starter so that it’s at peak when you’re planning to make the dough. Around 4 to 12 hours before you want to make the dough is the general timeframe, but you know how long it takes your starter to reach peak after a feeding, so go with that. To feed your starter, mix all ingredients together in a clean jar. Cover loosely and let it rest at room temperature until it peaks. This usually takes about 4 to 12 hours; I like to do this the night before I want to make the dough, right before I go to bed.

Add the active starter, eggs, melted butter, scalded milk, sugar, and salt to a large bowl or container (glass or clear so you can see through the sides and bottom) and whisk to combine. Add the flour and stir to form a shaggy dough (don’t knead it; some dry spots are fine).

Cover the container and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Wet your hands and perform your first set of stretch and folds. To do so, grab a piece of dough, gently stretch it up, fold it over, and then rotate the bowl 1/4 turn. Repeat this process 7 more times until you’ve gone around the bowl twice. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

After the 4th set of stretch and folds, cover the bowl and let the dough rest at room temperature until puffed, about 6 hours.

After 6 hours at room temperature, pop the dough into the fridge for 12 to 24 hours more. At the end of this step, the dough should be puffed to about 50-75% larger than its original size; the top of the dough should be slightly domed and bubbly; additionally, the bottom of the dough should look spongy.

Butter the inside of a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan.

Scrape your dough out onto a dry work surface, and gently shape the dough into a rectangle. Fold the rectangle up like a letter, and then roll it up from one of the short ends. To get some surface tension, gently pull the loaf towards you across the countertop a couple times.

Place the dough (seam side down) into the prepared loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap.

Let the dough rest at room temperature until it’s properly proofed, about 8 hours. You’ll know it’s properly proofed when it looks puffed (it’ll be roughly doubled in size) and jiggles when you gently shake the bowl. Also, the poke test is helpful as a guideline; lightly flour your finger and the dough’s surface, and gently press your finger into the dough. If it springs back slowly (instead of springing back quickly or not at all), it’s ready to bake.

Half an hour before you want to bake, preheat your oven to 350F.

Lightly brush the top of the loaf with egg wash. Bake (uncovered) until done, about 40 to 55 minutes. (Check the bread at the 35-minute mark and if the top is getting too golden before it’s fully baked, cover the top with foil and continue baking.) The bread is done when it’s golden outside, sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, and reaches an internal temperature of 190-200F.

Transfer the bread to a wire rack and cool completely before slicing. (Don’t be tempted to slice into it while it’s hot! This will give you one great slice but the rest of the loaf will be gummy.) Cooling takes at least 4 to 6 hours, but overnight is better.