Farmer’s Bread
adapted from Jacques Pépin’s Table, by duh, Jacques Pépin
makes 1 big fat loaf

4 cups (454 g) all purpose flour plus 1 teaspoon for sprinkling
1/2 cup (84 g) rye flour
1/2 cup (14 g) wheat bran
2 1/2 (12 g) teaspoon salt 
1 teaspoon (4 g) granulated yeast
2 1/3 cup cool tap water (about 70 degrees F, a comfortable room temperature)

1 cup walnuts (optional)
1 tablespoon coriander seeds (optional)

1. Stir up the flours, bran, yeast and salt (and walnuts and coriander, if using).

2. Add the water a little at a time. You may not need all of it. I certainly didn’t. You are looking to moisten all the dry ingredients so a dough can come together. Start with about 3/4 cup. Stir, and add some more as needed. Start kneading with your hands to get a sense of if the dough is coming together, and has enough moisture to form a ball. Once you have a sticky ball, knead the dough until it becomes more elastic and supple, about 5 minutes.

3. Lightly spritz a large container or bowl with nonstick spray. Pop in your dough ball, cover tightly, and let rise at ROOM TEMPERATURE for 12-14 hours or overnight. It will double in size and get airy and pillowy.

4. After the long rise, punch it down. It will deflate and release some of its gases. Shape into ball. Place it on a parchment lined paddle or inverted baking sheet. Spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray, and cover loosly with plastic wrap. This way the plastic won’t stick to the dough. Let rise again at room temperature for 1 1/2 hours.

5. While dough rests, preheat oven to 425 degrees F. If you have a baking stone, place it in the oven to preheat, too. If you don’t, preheat an inverted sheet tray. The dough should double in size again.

6. Sprinkle loaf with remaining teaspoon of flour. Gently, GENTLY, without pressing the air out, slash a tic-tac-toe shape on the bread to give it that peasanty character.

7. Slide bread into the oven, parchment and all, on to your stone or inverted baking pan. Creating a humid oven environment in the oven at this initial baking stage helps the crust get crustier. This can be achieved by spritzing some water directly into the oven a few times (using a spray bottle), and then quickly closing the oven door to trap the moisture. (Or you can place a shallow pan filled with an inch of water on the floor of your oven. This water will evaporate as the bread bakes.) QUICKLY, spray some water into the oven, around the bread. Don’t worry if some gets on the bread. Don’t let much heat escape from the oven.

8. Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees F. The high heat will help set the crust. Reduce the heat to 400 degrees F. Now the interior of the bread can bake through more gently.  Bake for another 45 minutes to an hour. The top will become deeply golden, and so will the underside. If you tap the underside, it should have a hollow sound.

9. As tempting as it is to slice into it right away, let the bread cool. It needs a chance to settle. NOW slice. Try not to eat half the loaf in one sitting, like I did.