Crusty Artisan Bread ~ made with whole-wheat flour and [optional] sourdough

The original recipe I read for this bread warned NOT to make it with anything except all-purpose flour. Since I know that whole-grain and sourdough breads are healthier, I altered the recipe anyway. The end result has been amazing! I have made this bread with the following ingredients at least five times. You can also make it without sourdough starter, if you do not keep sourdough starter on hand.

Baked bread; more photos below

Ingredients

• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• ½ cup sourdough starter*
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt 
• ½ teaspoon dry yeast
• 1¼ cups lukewarm water

*To omit sourdough starter, use 2 cups all-purpose flour and increase water to 1½ cups.

Directions

In a large bowl, stir together the flours, salt and yeast. Stir in sourdough mix, if using, and water using a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a shaggy but cohesive dough. Do not over-work the dough. The less you "work" it, the more soft, fluffy air pockets will form.

Dough after rising 8 hours (almost doubled).
It fell in just a bit after I took the plastic off.

Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let dough sit at room temperature for 8-24 hours. Dough will bubble up and rise.

When dough is ready, preheat oven to 450°F. Place a Dutch oven, uncovered, into the preheating oven for 30 minutes.

Dough at start of 30-minute rest.

While Dutch oven preheats, turn dough onto a well-floured surface. With floured hands, form the dough into a ball. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rest. You can use either flour for this step. I often use the whole-wheat flour; however, I thought the dough had quite a whole-grain look already, so I used the all-purpose flour this time instead.

Bread ready for the oven (unfortunately, not a very good photo!)

After 30 minutes, remove Dutch oven. Spray with non-stick spray. With floured hands, place the bread dough into it. Bake for 30 minutes covered. Remove cover and bake until golden brown—5 to 7 minutes more.

Yum!

Let bread cool on a wire rack before slicing. Store in sealed bag in fridge.

Enjoy! Let me know if you have any questions ~