The Bread you had at my house (Dad’s Artisan Bread)

An enameled cast-iron Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid yields best results, but the recipe also works in a regular cast-iron Dutch oven or heavy stockpot ( you need to replace the resin knob on top of the lid with a metal knob, I fond a drawer pull at Home depot) or in a oven proof glass dish (Corning ware or Pyrex). Use a mild-flavored lager, such as a Hefeweisen (mild non-alcoholic lager also works). The bread is best eaten the day it is baked but can be wrapped in aluminum foil and stored in a cool, dry place for up to 2 days.

Makes 1 large round loaf

3	cups unbleached all-purpose flour (15 ounces,or 500 g), plus additional for dusting work surface
1/2	Cup of 5 grain, Spelt flour, other grains mixed
1/8	teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 1/2	teaspoons table salt (12 g)
1	cup plus 2 tablespoons water (7 ounces, or 240 g), at room temperature
1/4	cup plus 2 tablespoons mild-flavored lager (3 ounces, or 130 g)
3	tablespoons Rye Sour (30 g)

1. Whisk flour, yeast, and salt in large bowl. Add water, beer, and Rye Sour. Using rubber spatula, fold mixture, scraping up dry flour from bottom of bowl until shaggy ball forms. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 8 to 18 hours.

2. wash the bowl, Lay 12- by 18-inch sheet of parchment paper inside.

Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and knead 10 to 15 times. Shape dough into ball by pulling edges into middle. Transfer dough, seam-side down, to parchment-lined bowl. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until dough has doubled in size and does not readily spring back when poked with finger, about 2 hours.

3. About 30 minutes before baking, adjust oven rack to lowest position, place 6- to 8-quart heavy-bottomed Dutch oven (with lid) on rack (a covered Corning Ware or Pyrex pan of sufficient size), and heat oven to 475 degrees. Lightly flour top of dough and, using razor blade or sharp knife, make one 6-inch-long, 1/2-inch-deep slit along top of dough. Carefully remove pot from oven and remove lid. Pick up dough by lifting parchment overhang and lower into pot Transferring dough to a preheated Dutch oven to bake can be tricky. To avoid burnt fingers and help the dough hold its shape, use the paper's edges to pick up the dough and lower it into the Dutch oven. The bread remains on the parchment paper as it bakes. (let any excess parchment hang over pot edge). Cover pot and place in oven. Bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove lid and continue to bake until loaf is deep brown( 5 to 10 minutes longer). Carefully remove bread from pot; transfer to wire rack and cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. If you cut the bread before it is cooled it will be sticky and kind of uncooked inside.

Rye Sour

I use a Rye Starter that I make with 1/2 cup Dark Rye flour, 4 Tbsp. water and a pinch of dry yeast. (equal amounts of flour and water by weight) mix all together.

Make the starter 24 hours ahead of the dough and use about 3 Tbsp, of starter. Add back what you used to the starter and refrigerate the starter till next time you need to use it. The sour will last months in the refrigerator. When ready to use bring it to room temperature and add flour and water in equal amounts (by weight ) or use the ½ cup flour to 4 tbsp water proportion

Note: the weighing the ingredients guarantees repeatability of the bread and is the most accurate formula.