Pain de Campagne

This recipe is very slightly modified from The Bread Baker's Apprentice (the best bread book every if you are learning yeast breads, like I still am). It provides a richer flavor the longer you give the yeast to activate and gas. Because of the whole wheat flour, it doesn't rise and create bubbles the way a traditional country bread would, rather it has a more spongy texture (though I've occasionally gotten it just right to get large holes in the final bread)

Ingredients:

Pate Fermentee
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cup whole wheat white flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tsp yeast (from a package of dry active)
1 cup water, room temperature

Bread
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup whole wheat white flour
3/4 tsp salt
remaining package yeast
1 cup (plus some if needed) warm water (as hot as your sink will make it without steaming).
extra flour for dusting.

Spray bottle of water

Directions:

In a medium bowl, to make the pate fermentee, stir together the flour, salt, and yeast. Add 3/4 cup water and stir until it comes together to make a ball. Add more water by the spoonful if needed. Turn onto a lightly floured counter and knead for 6 minutes. Make sure it is lightly tacky and pliable, but not sticky; your hands should remain clean.

Place in a lightly oiled bowl. turn to coat the ball with oil. Cover with plastic (or a damp towel) and let ferment at room temperature (about 70F) until 1 1/2 the starting size, about one hour. Punch down gently, cover again, let rise a second time, about one hour.

For the bread, in a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and yeast. Cut the pate fermentee into small peices and add. Add water and stir until everything comes together into a ball. The dough should be soft and pliable, but not sticky. Add more water if needed.

Turn onto a lightly floured counter. Knead for 10 minutes, adding flour as needed to keep it tacky but not sticky. After 10 minutes of kneading, you should be able to stretch the dough so thin that you can see light through it before it breaks.

Oil a large bowl, place dough ball into bowl, turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic or damp towel. Let rise 2 hours until it is double in size.

Gently remove dough and place on a lightly floured counter. Using a pastry scraper or a sharp knife (so as not to degas the dough) cut into 6 pieces. Shape dough delicately into loaves by stretching the tops towards the bottom. Spray with oil. Coat with flour. Cover and let rise for 1 hour until at least 1 1/2 original size.

Place a heavy metal pan on the bottom of your oven (or the lowest possible rack). Preheat oven to 500F. Have 1 cup boiling water at hand and ready to pour.

Transfer dough to generously dusted baking sheet or bread stone (the stone would be in the oven already, the baking sheet won't be). Immediately pour the boiling water into pan at bottom of oven. Close oven. 30 seconds later open up of the oven and spray the loaves with water. Close oven. Repeat spraying 3 more times. Lower oven temperature to 450F. Bake for about 15 minutes (turning half way if needed for even baking). The loaves will sound hollow when tapped on the bottom when done.

Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool for 30 minutes before slicing.