Yield: 2 loaves

Starter: Day One

All-purpose flour, 36g
Rye flour, 36g 
Whole wheat flour, 36g 
Warm water, 100g

Procedure

Mix all ingredients together and keep covered in a warm spot.

Starter: Day Two

All-purpose flour, 36g
Rye flour, 36g 
Whole wheat flour, 36g 
Warm water, 100g
Starter from the previous day, 200g

Procedure

Mix all ingredients together and keep covered in a warm spot.

Starter: Day Three

Repeat Day Two. After about 3-4 days your starter should be active with a slightly sweet/sour smell. You can continue to keep it alive by feeding it every day following the Day Two recipe.

Bread

Starter, 275g Warm water, 783g
All-purpose flour, 1013g
Rye flour, 56g 
Whole wheat flour, 56g 
Salt, 27g
Fennel powder, 6g

Procedure

Preheat your oven to 400°F (If you have a convection setting I recommend using it for this bread. If not, the bread will still be delicious but not quite as brown on the outside.) Put the starter and warm water in the bowl of a kitchenaid mixer. Begin mixing on a low speed using a bread hook. Slowly add the flours, salt, and fennel powder. Mix the ingredients on a medium speed until it comes together into a nice ball of dough. You may need to scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally to incorporate all of the flour.

Put the dough into a large, clean bowl that has been wiped with a thin layer of oil to prevent sticking. Cover with a damp towel and allow to rest for 60 minutes, the dough should have risen slightly. Grab one side of the dough and pull it up to stretch it. Press it back into the dough and turn the bowl. Grab another side of the dough to stretch it again, then press it back into the dough. Repeat this step 5 or 6 times. Put the dough back into the bowl and cover with the damp towel again to rest for another 60 minutes. The dough should be larger, but not doubled in size, and very fluffy.

Divide the dough in half and roll into loaves. Place them in oiled loaf pans. Cover with damp towels and let them rise at room temp for four hours until the dough has risen a bit above the tops of the pans. Score the tops with a very sharp knife and put loaves into a 400°F oven. Reduce oven temp to 350°F and bake for 30 minutes. Rotate loaf pans and bake for another 30 minutes. Remove bread from the pans and cool on racks fully before slicing.

 

Formulation courtesy of Sarah Rich of Rich Table, San Francisco, C.A.