Instructions: First my comments, then the recipe.

Im not sure how to make water chlorine-free, or why its important. I boiled the water for the sponge, then measured the remaining water and let it sit overnight. Read the whole recipe, including suggestions, before you start. You just leave the sponge in the machine overnight, then add the remaining ingredients. I used 1 Tbsp each of whole wheat and rye, instead of 2 Tbsp whole wheat. I used 1 1/4 C water the next day instead of 1 (they suggest up to 1 1/2, but the dough is very wet and sticky). I used regular yeast. I also used regular salt, but only about 1/2 Tbsp, since kosher salt contains huge crystals, and 1 Tbsp must contain less salt mass than 1 Tbsp regular. Note that this recipe contains no added fat. Note their suggestion for storing the bread. This is something that was suggested earlier on the bread list as well. Simply leave the loaf on the countertop, cut side down. This actually works. It stays crusty on the outside and chewy on the inside.

The Sponge (begin the night before):
1 cup water, chlorine-free
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/4 cups King Arthur Special For Machines Bread Flour 2 tablespoons King Arthur Stone Ground Whole Wheat Flour 1 tablespoon yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon semolina flour

Place the ingredients in the pan of your bread machine and program for Manual or Dough. Press Start. After several minutes, or once the dough is fully mixed - itll look like thick pudding - cancel the machine. [Leave sponge in the machine.]

The Next Day (or about 8 hours later) stir down the sponge. Continue to make the dough by adding the following:
1 cup water, chlorine-free
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
3 1/2 cups King Arthur Special For Machines Bread Flour

Program your machine for Manual or Dough, and press Start. As the dough begins to mix it should form first a soft mass, then eventually a soft ball that is not too stiff, but not sticky, either. Adjust with additional flour or water as necessary. (If the dough isnt coming together, stop the machine, and stir the dough with a rubber spatula to help the sponge and added ingredients combine. Re-program the machine for Dough, and start it again.)

When the cycle is complete, remove the dough from the machine. (It can hang around for a bit - you dont have to rush.) Cover with a tea towel and let rest for 30 minutes. (If you want to leave the dough all day, place it in a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and refrigerate it. When youre ready to work with it, deflate if necessary, and allow to warm slightly before proceeding.)

After its rest period, deflate the dough gently and form it into a round ball, Place the ball, seam-side down, on a cornmeal-dusted baking sheet. Cover it lightly with a tea towel. Let it rise a second time until its puffy and about 30% to 40% larger, about 1 hour. Dont let it rise too much, since it rises some more in the oven and, if its overproofed initially, itll collapse as it bakes.

Preheat the oven to 475 F. Make several 1/4- to 1/2-inch slashes or crosshatches in the loaf. If your dough deflates at this point, it means it rose too much. But even if it does topple a bit or deflate, generally the heat of the oven will help it spring back. [I find that my bread knife makes the best slashes.]

Using a clean plant mister, spritz the loaf with water. Spray some water into the oven, and place the bread on the lowest rack.

Spritz the oven walls every few minutes for the first 15 minutes of baking. Lower the heat to 425 F (this reduction in heat mimics the "falling oven" used by brick-oven bakers, and will give your bread an incredible crust), and continue to bake until well-browned, about 35 minutes. The interior temperature of the bread should register 190 F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a wire rack before slicing. Store, cut side down, on a counter (do not cover). Yes, this really works; your bread will remain fresh but not soggy for several days.

Yield: One large loaf, about 24 hearty servings.

Additional Notes:
You may use 2 tablespoons pumpernickel, the grain French bakers traditionally add to enhance a breads keeping qualities, in place of the whole wheat flour in the initial sponge.

For an even chewier bread with larger, more irregular holes, try increasing the amount of water in the doughs second stage by 1/4 to 1/2 cup. Add 1/4 cup initially, then take a look at the dough while its in its second kneading cycle. Your goal is to create a dough which is very wet and slack, but which will still hold its shape when formed into a freeform loaf. Add additional water if it looks as though the dough can absorb it and still remain firm enough to be workable.

This bread is an ideal candidate for a linen-lined banneton, which will hold and shape it as it rises and, because of the moisture-drawing qualities of the linen, help produce a chewy crust.

Try putting your risen loaf into the oven without slashing it first; itll develop its own natural split, producing a more rustic-looking loaf.

For a thick, brown, chewy bottom crust, try baking the bread in the oven in a preheated cast iron skillet, or on a baking stone.

For a crisper crust, allow the loaf to cool in the oven. When the bread is done, turn off the oven and crack the door open a couple of inches, leaving the loaf inside.

Just a Hint.... Store crusty hearth loaves uncovered, but with their cut side down on the counter. This is one of the best tips weve come across in some time. Though this doesnt work on baguettes, rolls, or other small loaves, it works beautifully on big boules or freeform loaves. The moisture in the breads interior gradually migrates to the surface, but since the cut side is covered, it cant escape there; instead, it must navigate its way through the thick crust, a much slower process. This keeps the breads interior soft, and the crust hard and crunchy.

NOTES : We have just finished off our second loaf. Its wonderful!

It is FABULOUS! Words cant describe how wonderful it is, how crusty and chewy, with holes in it. Exactly like what my son buys in a Seattle bakery. Very easy to make, too. Mix the sponge in the breadmaker, unplug and leave it overnight. Next day add the remaining ingredients and set on dough cycle. Then form the loaf by hand, let rise, and bake in the oven. By the way, the dough is quite wet and sticky, and might be hard to knead by hand.

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