BAKING SHEET

1 or 2 baking sheets, Teflon or greased and sprinkled with cornmeal. The number of sheets depends on the number of loaves to be made, and size of the oven, especially if it is convection.

PREPARATION

4 hours-overnight

To make the starter, in a large mixing or mixer bowl dissolve the honey in the hot water and add the yeast. Add 1/2 cup each white and whole-wheat flour to make a thick batter. Add the balance of the flours to make a shaggy mass that can be worked with the hands. Knead for 3 minutes. Toss in liberal sprinkles of flour if the dough is slack or sticky.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for at least 4 hours. Left overnight it will gather even more flavor and strength.

BY HAND OR MIXER

10 mins.

To make the dough, pour the hot water over the starter. Stir with a large wooden spoon or rubber scraper, or the flat beater of a mixer, to break up the dough. Add the salt.

Place 2 cups each of whole-wheat and white flour at the side of the mixing bowl, and add equal parts of each, 1/2 cup at a time, first stirring with a spoon and then working it with your hands, or with the dough hook. It may take more white flour to make a mass that is not sticky. Lift from the bowl if to be kneaded by hand, or leave in the mixer bowl if with the dough hook.

KNEADING

10 mins.

If by hand, place the dough on the floured work surface and begin to knead the dough aggressively with a strong motion of push-turn-fold. If the dough is slack and sticky, add sprinkles of flour. Once in a while lift the dough high above the work surface and bring it down with a crash to speed the process. Do this 3 or

4 times and then resume kneading. Knead by hand, or with the dough hook in the mixer bowl, for 10 minutes.

BY PROCESSOR

6 mins.

This is a big loaf and should be made only in a large-capacity home food processor. The dough will stall the blade of a lesser model.

Prepare the starter by hand, as above.

Attach the short plastic dough blade.

Pour the hot water over the starter, stir to mix, and scrape into the work bowl of the processor. Add salt. Pulse. Place 2 cups each whole-wheat and white flour at hand, and add equal parts of each, 1/4 cup at a time, to the work bowl as the processor is running.

Add only enough flour to form a mass that will ride the blade and clean the sides of the bowl. Stop the machine and feel the dough. It should be moist and slightly sticky but not wet or slack. If it is so, add sprinkles of flour.

KNEADING

45 secs.

Knead the dough, with the processor running, for 45 seconds.

FIRST RISING

3 - 4 hours

Place the ball of dough in a greased bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and leave at room temperature to double in volume, about 3 hours.

(If prepared with a new fast-rising yeast and at the recommended higher temperatures, reduce the rising times by about half.)

SHAPING

10 mins.

Push down the dough and turn out onto a well-floured work surface. Divide the dough into the desired number of pieces and shape with cupped hands into tight balls. Reserve 1 cup of dough to make the decorative wheat stalks later, if desired. They really only make sense if you are making one large round loaf that measures at least 12" across; anything smaller will not do the stalks justice.

Place the balls of dough on baking sheets and press down to flatten slightly.

SECOND RISING

2-1/2 hours

Leave the loaves under wax paper to triple in size, about 2-1/2 hours at room temperature.

DECORATING

15 mins.

Shortly before the loaf is completely raised, divide the reserved cup of dough into 3 pieces. Roll each into a long strand (under the palms) 12" to 14" long-no thicker than a lead pencil.

Place the strands parallel and, beginning 4" from one end, braid to the end. Turn the strand around and spread apart the strands to make it convenient to cut the wheat design on each.

With sharp-pointed scissors, make small cuts from the top down 5" of the strand-alternating right, center, and left-to create the illusion of grains of wheat protruding from the stalk before harvest. Leave the remainder of the stalk uncut and bare. Repeat the pattern for each strand.

Lightly brush the top of the loaf with water, and then position the wheat stalks. Fan the upper stalks apart.

PREHEAT

Preheat the oven to 425° 20 minutes before baking. Place a broiler pan on the bottom rack. Five minutes before the bread goes in the oven, pour 1 cup hot water in the pan to create a moist, steamy oven.

BAKING 425°

40 - 50 mins.

Place the loaves on the middle rack. Midway through baking shift the loaves to balance the effect of the oven's heat. The loaves are done when golden brown, in 40 to 50 minutes. The bottom crust will sound hard and hollow when tapped with a forefinger.

(If using a convection oven, measure beforehand and select the loaf size and pan size that will fit. Place a broiler pan on the floor of the oven and preheat at 375° 20 minutes before the bake period. Before putting the bread in the oven, pour 1 cup hot water into the pan. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped, as above.)

FINAL STEP

Place on a metal rack to cool.

Freezes well.

If for a party or simply out of pride, present the loaf complete with wheat stalks at the table before slicing.