THIS RECIPE MAKES 2 LOAVES, EACH ABOUT 1½ POUNDS, AND IS SUITABLE FOR FOCACCIA. BULK FERMENTATION: About 5 hours PROOF TIME: 12 to 14 hours SAMPLE SCHEDULE: Mix at 1 p.m., shape into loaves at 6 p.m., proof in the refrigerator overnight, and bake at 8 a.m. the next morning. The bread will come out of the oven a little after 8:45 a.m.

The idea is to build up an active population of yeast in the levain culture with two feedings using very warm water, in a way that limits the buildup of sour flavors. You may notice a larger amount of levain here than in the other bread recipes in this book, the reason being that this levain is less active at the time I introduce it into the dough

Just be careful not to use dough that isn’t fully fermented or proofed when you move on to the next stage, because you’ll sacrifice flavor and volume in the baked bread.

If you want an even chewier crust, leave the loaves in the oven with the door partly open for a few minutes after turning off the oven.

As noted, whole wheat flour absorbs more water than white flour. Therefore, if you increase the ratio of white flour in a recipe, you’ll need less water to achieve the same dough consistency. Conversely, if you increase the ration of whole wheat flour, you’ll need to add more water to achieve the same consistency.

Just don’t use water above 110°F (43°C). (As you may recall, temperatures much warmer than that can kill the yeast.)

This is because whole wheat flour has more nutrients for yeast and therefore ferments faster than white flour. The

Whole wheat dough does not stretch as far as white flour dough, so don’t be too aggressive with it.

Straight dough A dough that is made up in a single stage, without pre-fermented dough or a levain culture. Levain The French word for “sourdough,” referring to a naturally leavened dough culture made from just flour and water, containing billions of active wild yeast cells and naturally occurring bacteria that ferment bread dough and allow it to