Rustic Country Bread

Recipe View **Day 1: The Starter (5 minutes active, overnight rise):** In the pan of your bread machine, combine 3/4 cup spring water, 1/4 teaspoon bread machine yeast, and 1 3/4 cups bread flour. Select the 'dough' cycle and let it knead for 5 minutes. Stop the machine and allow the mixture to rise overnight at room temperature.

Recipe View **Day 2: Mixing and First Rise (15 minutes active, 2 hours rise):** Gently pour the starter from the bread machine pan into a non-metallic container. Reserve 1/3 cup of the starter for this recipe; freeze the remaining starter for future baking endeavors. In a large bowl, whisk together the reserved 1/3 cup starter, 1 cup spring water, 1/2 teaspoon yeast, 2 cups bread flour, whole wheat flour, and salt. Select the 'dough' cycle on your bread machine (or knead by hand for about 10 minutes). After the initial kneading (either in the bread machine or by hand), remove the dough and place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a damp towel and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size, approximately 2 hours.

Recipe View **Second Rise (5 minutes active, 1 hour rise):** Gently deflate the dough. Cover again with the damp towel and allow it to rise a second time until doubled, about 1 hour.

Recipe View **Shaping and Final Proof (10 minutes active, 40 minutes rise):** Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a round loaf. Place the loaf on a baking sheet that has been generously sprinkled with cornmeal to prevent sticking. Cover the loaf and let it rise until nearly doubled in size, about 40 minutes. During the last 20 minutes of proofing, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Recipe View **Baking (50 minutes):** Spray the loaf generously with water. Place it in the preheated oven. For the first 10 minutes of baking, open the oven every two minutes and spray the loaf again with water – this creates a beautiful, crisp crust. Continue baking for an additional 40 minutes, or until the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool completely on a wire rack before slicing and enjoying.