Rustic Country Loaf

Total Time: 3 hrs 5 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs 35 mins

Ingredients

• 3 cups bread flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 pinch sugar
• 1 1/3 cups water, warm about 120-130 degrees

Recipe

• 1 line one heavy sheet pan with parchment and dust with cornmeal.
• 2 dissolve the yeast in 1/3 cup of warm (100-110 f) water and sugar. allow to rise for 10 minutes.
• 3 combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir with wooden spoon to combine. make a well in the center and slowly add warm water, and yeast mixture. with a heavy wooden spoon, stir mixture until it forms a sticky dough that clings to spoon.
• 4 using clean, floured hands remove dough from spoon and bowl and place on lightly floured work surface. with both hands knead dough until it is slightly smooth. if dough still remains sticky add a little flour and mix inches form the dough into a ball and put it back in mixing bowl. cover with a kitchen towel, let rise in warm place for about one hour or until dough doubles in size.
• 5 when dough has doubled in size, punch it down and return dough to bowl for an additional half hour to rise.
• 6 after the half hour remove the dough and punch it down again. knead slightly and form back into a ball tucking ends underneath. place dough on parchment lined sheet pan, cover with kitchen towel, let rise again for 30 to 40 minutes until almost doubled in size.
• 7 while dough is rising, preheat over to 425 degrees.
• 8 when dough has risen, lightly dust with flour and place dough on middle rack in hot oven. bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until bread is a deep golden brown. remove loaf and place on rack to cool.