Rustic Sourdough Bread

1 cup "fed” sourdough starter

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Combine all of the ingredients, kneading to form a smooth dough.

Allow the dough to rise, in a lightly greased, covered bowl, until it's doubled in size, about 90 minutes.

Gently divide the dough in half; it'll deflate somewhat.

Gently shape the dough into two oval loaves, or, for longer loaves, two 10" to 11" logs.  Place the loaves on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.  Cover and let rise until very puffy, about 1 hour.  Towards the end of the rising time, heat the oven to 425°F.

Spray the loaves with lukewarm water.  Make two fairly deep diagonal slashes in each; a serrated bread knife, wielded firmly, works well here.  Bake the bread for 25 to 30 minutes, until it's a very deep golden brown. Remove it from the oven, and cool on a rack.

Note: For a brick oven effect, rather than dividing the dough into two separate loaves, shape it into one large ball, and place it in the base of a round covered stoneware baker.   Put the lid on, and let the loaf rise for 1 hour. Make two slashes on top of the bread, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, removing the lid of the baker for the final 5 minutes of baking.

From King Arthur Flour