Whole Wheat French Yeasted Bread

French bread dough is so easy to make—it is amazing that something so good can come of so few basic ingredients. This recipe has no shortening in it, so it is best eaten the same day it is made. If you cannot eat it that day, freeze it. To freeze, wait until bread is cool, and then wrap it very tightly in plastic or place it in a plastic bag.

MAKES: three 14’inch baguettes

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 to 1 cup unbleached white flour as needed

DOUGH:

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 2 cups unbleached white flour

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Dough: Dissolve yeast in the warm water. Add the flour, and stir until well-mixed. It will be a very loose sponge. Let it sit in a warm place covered well for 2 to 8 hours. We often make the sponge at night and let it rise overnight, finishing the bread in the morning. The mixture will rise and fall several times if left overnight or all day. The longer it is left, the better the flavor it will have.
2. Dissolve salt in the water. Stir salt water into the sponge. Add flour, 1 cup at a time, until you have a workable dough. Turn dough onto a floured surface, and knead for 10 minutes. The dough will be smooth and elastic.
3. Put the dough in an oiled bowl. Turn it in the bowl to oil both sides. Cover with a towel and let dough rise in a warm place.
4. When dough has doubled (about1 1/2 hours), turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead lightly for a minute to press out any air. Divide the dough into 3 pieces and shape into baguettes or rounds. Place on buttered baking sheets, leaving plenty of space between them. Cover the loaves with a towel, and put them in a warm place to rise until doubled. This takes 45 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 375°. To get the crisp crust, try to create a moist oven: Several minutes before the bread goes in the oven to bake, place a large, low pan on the lower shelf. Pour about 1 cup of boiling water in the pan. Let the oven fill up with steam. Then bake the loaves on the middle shelf. The water will evaporate in the first 15 minutes.
6. Bake the loaves for approximately 45 minutes. Bread is done when it is golden brown and sounds hollow on the bottom. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack. .