This recipe is based on the Pain a l'Ancienne Rustic Bread recipe in Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day. I find that a recipe made with only white flour is just too bland for me, so I added some whole wheat for flavor. To compensate for the whole wheat absorbing more water (than white four), I increased the hydration by 1.5%. As such, this bread is about 81.5% hydration and is very sticky.
Ingredients:
500g unbleached bread flour
67g whole wheat flour
11g salt
470g water, cool (between 55-60 degrees F)
14g olive oil
Day 1
Combine the water and yeast in a mixing bowl. Stir until the yeast is dispersed.
Add in the flour and salt. Mix by hand with a large spoon or similar implement until you have a course, sticky dough.
Let the dough sit for 5 minutes to fully hydrate.
Drizzle the olive oil over the dough and mix for 1 minute with wet hands until thoroughly incorporated.
Transfer the dough to a bowl and let the dough rest under plastic wrap or similar (e.g. a shower cap) for 10 minutes.
Either in the bowl (if you are using a wide bowl or container) or on a lightly oiled surface, use the Peter Reihart stretch-and-fold technique. Wait 10 minute and repeat. Repeat 4 times all together, within 40 minutes.
Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate overnight.
Day 2
Remove the dough from the refrigerator 3 hours before you plan to bake. It should have increased to double or triple it's original size.
After one hour, remove the dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured work surface. Handle the dough as little as possible.
Gently pant the dough into a 9x9 inch square and dust the surface lightly with flour.
Cut the dough in half.
With floured hands, gently fold the dough int thirds without apply any pressure. Sprinkle some flour on the dough and turn it seem side down.
Sprinkle more flour on the top (so the dough doesn't stick) and overturn a bowl over the dough or cover loosely with plastic wrap or similar.
Let sit for 1 hour.
Gently turn the pieces over so the seem side is up. Stretch the dough gently to a length of 7 inches.
Replace the dough onto a heavily floured surface or a piece of oven-safe parchment paper.
Cover with a bowl or plastic wrap and allow to proof for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven, including an oven stone and broth pot or a combo cooker or dutch oven to 500 degrees F (475 convection).
Turn the dough onto a peel or slide the parchment paper onto a peel (no need to score it).
Turn the oven down to 450 degrees F (425 convection) and place the bread onto the stone or into the combo cooker. If you bake on the stone, you can leave the parchment on the bread as you put it in the oven.
Bake for 12 minutes under steam.
After the twelve minutes, remove lid or whatever you are using to steam, and bake the bread for 15-20 more minutes or when the bread is a rich brown on top, streaked with flour. The crust will be hard when tapped and the internal temperature should be about 205+ degrees F. The bread should feel light.
Cool for 45 minutes before slicing.
Enjoy!