Country Bread (Pain de Campagne)
Makes 4 medium-size boules
Attention, disciples of the famous no-knead bread that took the
food world by storm after Jim Lahey revealed his recipe. Yes: that
bread is remarkably easy and results in a truly accomplished bread
for very little work. But this recipe? It takes the bread to the next
level and doesn’t ask you to do much more. In both cases you
start the night before; here, you make a pre-ferment with whole
wheat flour and yeast. The next day, you mix that in with bread
flour, more yeast, and water and let the mixer do the work. True,
there are two more rises, but the finished bread is really out of this
world, reminiscent of the bread you get at the finest of fine
restaurants. The next time you make bread, let this be your bread
of choice.FOR THE PRE-FERMENT
122 grams whole wheat flour*
106 grams water, at room temperature
1 gram wet yeast or 3 grams dry yeast (dissolved in a tiny bit
of water)TO FINISH THE BREAD
1,046 grams King Arthur organic bread flour