Whole Grain Rye Bread

From "Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day" by Jeff Hetzberg, M.D., and Zoë François

Yields four 1-pound loaves.

2 3/4 cup rye flour
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I use Spring Hard White Wheat)
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 Tbsp granulated yeast (2 packets)
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1 1/2 Tbsp caraway seeds, plus additional for sprinkling on top crust
1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
4 cups lukewarm water (70 to 80 degrees)
Cornmeal or semolina flour for the pizza peel

1. Mix the flours, yeast, salt, caraway seeds, and vital wheat gluten in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.
2. Add the water and mix without kneading, using a spoon or heavy-duty stand mixer with paddle.
3. Cover (not airtight), and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and flattens on top, approximately 2 hours.
4. Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 7 days.
5. On baking day, dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1-pound piece. Dust with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter turn as you go.
6. Elongate the ball into a narrow oval. Allow the loaf to rest, loosely covered with plastic wrap, on a pizza peel prepared with cornmeal or lined with parchment paper for 90 minutes (40 minutes if you're using fresh, unrefrigerated dough). 30 minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F, with a baking stone placed on the middle rack. Place an empty broiler tray on the shelf below the stone.
7. Just before baking use a pastry brush to paint the top with water, and then sprinkle with the additional caraway seeds. Slash the loaf with 1/4-inch-deep parallel cuts using a serrated knife.
8. Slide the loaf directly onto the hot stone (or place the silicone mat or cookie sheet on the stone if you used one). Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray, and quickly close the oven door. Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes, until richly browned and firm. If you used the parchment paper, a silicone mat, or a cookie sheet under the loaf, carefully remove it two-thirds of the way through baking and bake the loaf directly on the stone or an oven rack.
9. Allow to cool completely before slicing or eating.

*Visit www.artisanbreadinfive.com for further instructions and photos, or watch the how-to-slash-rye-bread video.