Ingredients
Sponge:
1 tbsp active dry yeast
1 cup water, warm (110F)
1 cup bread flour
Dough:
5 cups bread flour, approximately
1 1/3 cups water, warm (110F)
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp salt
Instructions
Make the sponge:
Dissolve yeast in warm water and stir in flour. Let rest for at least one hour (or up to 5, as time permits).
Make the Dough:
In a large bowl, combine the sponge, 2 cups of flour, water, honey. Add salt and remaining flour, stirring in about 1/4 cup at a time until the dough comes together into a ball. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until elastic – about 5 minutes. Place in a lightly greased bowl to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently deflate. Shape into a ball and place on a baking sheet sprinkled lightly with cornmeal. Flour the top of the loaf and cover with a clean dish towel. Let rise for 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 450F.
Bake for 35-40 minutes until the crust is dark brown. An instant read thermometer (meat thermometer) inserted into the bottom of the bread will read 205-210 F.
Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
Note: I don’t generally do this, but if you oven is large enough, add a small pan of water to the very bottom rack, below the bread, to create steam while the bread cooks. This will produce a better crust.
