100% Whole Wheat Bread

Bring all ingredients to room temperature.

Start the bread the evening before you want to bake it.Mix the first 3 ingredients in a bowl until a soft ball forms. Wrap in plastic wrap. This can be left on the counter for 8-12 hours.

Using the same bowl, mix the next three ingredients together with until a dough ball can be formed. Knead a few minutes, then form into a ball, place in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic. The sponge will rise slightly before morning if left at room temperature.

If it is very warm in your house, you may want to refrigerate the doughs after the first 2 hours.

In the morning, break the contents of both bowls into pieces and place together in a bowl. Let the dough come to room temperature if refrigerated. Add the honey, butter, salt and yeast (you may soften in 1 tablespoon water if it is not "instant" yeast) and knead together for about 5 minutes. You should have a homogeneous dough by the end of this mixing (may be done with stand mixer and dough hook). If the dough is too sticky (not coming off your hands or spoon), you may add a small amount of flour, but since whole wheat flour soaks up a lot of water, try to add just a little at a time.

Turn out on a lightly floured board and knead for 1 minute. Let rest 5 minutes. Dough should be firm but slightly tacky (sticks to hands slightly).

After 5 minutes, knead again for 1 minute, form into a ball, place in a clean container, oil surface and cover with a dish towel to let rise.

Let rise at room temperature 2-6 hours, or until well risen (almost doubled). I keep my house at 64°F in the winter, so my rise took about 4 hours.

For a free-standing hearth loaf, shape into a round shape or oval (do not knead again or you will remove air bubbles), draw the surface of the dough from top to bottom, and pinch the dough closed on the bottom. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Decorate top if desired (wet with water to stick poppy seeds, sesame seeds or cracked wheat to loaf) and let rise until the loaf is not quite doubled in size. This will take 90 minutes to 3 hours.

For loaf pan, form dough gently (keep as many air bubbles as possible) into rectangle on floured board, fold lengthwise into thirds and pinch closed on the bottom. Place in oiled loaf pan and proceed as described for free-standing loaf.

For free-standing loaf, about 20 minutes before you bake start preheating your oven to 500°F (1 hour preheat if you use a baking stone). For free-standing loaf, place an old aluminum pan on the bottom rack and your baking rack on the next level up. Slash surface of bread with sharp razor blade (lamé) or very sharp knife to about 1/4 inch deep.

To bake, place cookie sheet in oven, pull bottom rack with old pan out and pour about 2 cups of hot water into it. Close oven door quickly. If you have a spray bottle with water, open oven after 3 and 6 minutes and give 10 quick squirts onto the walls of the oven. Turn oven down to 450°F after 10 minutes and bake for 30 to 40 more minutes, or until internal temperature of the bread reaches 200°F.

To bake the loaf pan preheat oven to 400°F and place pan on middle rack. You do not need to use steam. Bake 40 minutes, or until internal temperature of the bread reaches 200°F.

Allow loaf to cool completely before slicing or it will still be wet on the inside.

Using a baking stone: Preheat oven to 500°F for 1 hour. Sprinkle baking stone with cornmeal and transfer free-form loaf to it via baking peel or sheet of cardboard. Use steam method as above. Turn oven down to 450°F immediately and then 380°F after 20 minutes or so. The bread in the picture is the second batch on a new baking stone and browned very quickly, which means I should calibrate my oven or start with a lower temperature.