French-Style Country Bread

French-Style Country Loaf and a slice (right
from the oven) slathered with butter & honey.
Yum!

Found this recipe at King Arthur Flour website. It is made in several steps so is a little time consuming but not difficult, and yields crusty French-style artisan bread.

The recipe is flexible as starter can be used 2 hours after mixing or can be held at room temperature up to 16 hours. Once the dough is mixed and kneaded, it needs to rise for 1 to 2 hours or can be allowed to slow-rise in the refrigerator before proceeding with the recipe.

French-Style Country Bread      Yield: 1 large or 2 medium loaves.

Starter

   1 cup cool to lukewarm water (90°F to 100°F)

   ½ teaspoon active dry instant yeast

   1 ¼ cups bread flour                       

   ¼ cup white whole wheat flour or whole wheat flour

Dough

   All of the starter (above)

   1 to 1 ½  cup lukewarm water (100°F to 115°F) – original recipe called for just 1 cup

   but my dough was  way to dry without some extra water

   ¾ teaspoon active dry instant yeast                       

   1 tablespoon granulated sugar

   3 ¾ to 4 cups bread flour

   1 ½ to 2 1/4 teaspoons salt

   ---

   Cornmeal

1. To make the starter: Stir all of the starter ingredients together to make a thick mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for at least 2 hours at room temperature. For best flavor, let the starter rest longer; overnight (up to 16 hours) is best.

   

   Above: Starter right after mixing.
   Below: Starter after setting overnight.

   
2. To make the dough: Stir down the starter with a spoon and add the water, yeast, sugar, 3 ¼ cups of the flour, and the salt. The dough will be a loose, messy mass. Let it rest for 12 to 15 minutes, then stir it again; it should become more cohesive and a bit smoother. Dough handles better once it's had time for the flour to absorb the water while resting and relaxing. By using this method, you'll tend to add less flour, and have much bigger holes in your finished bread. 
   
3. Knead the dough, adding more flour as necessary, to make a soft dough, 10 to 12 minutes.
   
4. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or plastic container, cover with lightly greased plastic wrap, and let it rise until almost doubled (depending on the weather, this could be 1 to 2 hours). If you're going out, or if you prefer, let the dough rise slowly in the fridge. If your dough has been refrigerated, allow it to come to room temperature before shaping; it'll warm up and rise at the same time.

   

   Above: Dough after being place in lightly greased bowl.
   Below: Dough about 2 hour rise.

   
5. Deflate the dough gently, but don't knock out all the air; this will create those "holes" so important to French bread. For one large loaf, form the dough into a round ball; for two loaves, divide the dough in half and shape into two balls.

   

   Gently deflated dough.

6. Place on a cornmeal-dusted silicon baking sheet or piece of parchment paper onto a baking sheet. Gently place the ball(s) of dough on the baking sheet, seam-side down.
   
   
   

   

   I studded one loaf with walnuts and rosemary leaves.

7. Cover the bread gently with lightly greased plastic wrap, and let it rise until it's puffy and about 40% to 50% larger, anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes.
8. Preheat your oven to 475°F.
9. Slash or cross-hatch the bread with a sharp knife or lame. Dust it with a little flour. Spritz water into the oven with a clean plant mister, and place the bread in the oven. Reduce the heat to 425°F and spritz with water every few minutes for the first 15 minutes of baking.
   
10. Bake the bread for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until it's a rich golden brown, and its interior temperature registers at least 190°F on a digital thermometer. The smaller loaves may bake more quickly, so keep your eye on them.
11. Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a rack. Store bread, loosely wrapped in paper, for a couple of days at room temperature; wrap it in plastic and freeze for longer storage.
    

Recipe without photos . . .

French-Style Country Bread      Yield: 1 large or 2 medium loaves.

Starter 

   1 cup cool to lukewarm water (90°F to 100°F)

   ½ teaspoon active dry instant yeast 

   1 ¼ cups bread flour                        

   ¼ cup white whole wheat flour or whole wheat flour 

Dough 

   All of the starter (above)

   1 to 1 ½  cup lukewarm water (100°F to 115°F) – original recipe called for just 1 cup 

   but my dough was  way to dry without some extra water

   ¾ teaspoon active dry instant yeast                        

   1 tablespoon granulated sugar

   3 ¾ to 4 cups bread flour 

   1 ½ to 2 1/4 teaspoons salt

   ---

   Cornmeal

1. To make the starter: Stir all of the starter ingredients together to make a thick mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for at least 2 hours at room temperature. For best flavor, let the starter rest longer; overnight (up to 16 hours) is best.
2. To make the dough: Stir down the starter with a spoon and add the water, yeast, sugar, 3 ¼ cups of the flour, and the salt. The dough will be a loose, messy mass. Let it rest for 12 to 15 minutes, then stir it again; it should become more cohesive and a bit smoother. Dough handles better once it's had time for the flour to absorb the water while resting and relaxing. By using this method, you'll tend to add less flour, and have much bigger holes in your finished bread.
3. Knead the dough, adding more flour as necessary, to make a soft dough, 10 to 12 minutes.
4. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or plastic container, cover with lightly greased plastic wrap, and let it rise until almost doubled (depending on the weather, this could be 1 to 2 hours). If you're going out, or if you prefer, let the dough rise slowly in the fridge. If your dough has been refrigerated, allow it to come to room temperature before shaping; it'll warm up and rise at the same time.
5. Deflate the dough gently, but don't knock out all the air; this will create those "holes" so important to French bread. For one large loaf, form the dough into a round ball; for two loaves, divide the dough in half and shape into two balls.
6. Place on a cornmeal-dusted silicon baking sheet or piece of parchment paper onto a baking sheet. Gently place the ball(s) of dough on the baking sheet, seam-side down.
7. Cover the bread gently with lightly greased plastic wrap, and let it rise until it's puffy and about 40% to 50% larger, anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes.
8. Preheat your oven to 475°F.
9. Slash or cross-hatch the bread with a sharp knife or lame. Dust it with a little flour. Spritz water into the oven with a clean plant mister, and place the bread in the oven. Reduce the heat to 425°F and spritz with water every few minutes for the first 15 minutes of baking.
10. Bake the bread for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until it's a rich golden brown, and its interior temperature registers at least 190°F on a digital thermometer. The smaller loaves may bake more quickly, so keep your eye on them.
11. Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a rack. Store bread, loosely wrapped in paper, for a couple of days at room temperature; wrap it in plastic and freeze for longer storage.