Cornmeal to sprinkle on pans
THE SPONGE: Pour 1 cup of starter into
a large
ceramic mixing bowl. Feed and then refrigerate the remainder.
Add to the
starter in the mixing bowl, the warm water and about 3 c of flour.
Beat
vigorously with a spoon or wire whisk. Cover this sponge with
plastic wrap
and put it aside to work. This time period can be very flexible,
but allow
at least 2 hours and as many as 24. The longer it has, the more
yeast
there will be for the second rise and the more pronounced the
sour flavor
of the bread will be.
THE DOUGH: After sponge has bubbled and expanded, remove plastic
wrap.
Blend salt, sugar and baking soda into 2 c of flour. Mix this
into sponge
with large spoon. When dough begins to hold together, turn it
out onto
floured board and knead it for 3 or 4 minutes. Add flour as needed
to make
a fairly stiff dough.Give the dough a rest and clean the bowl.
Continue
kneading for another 3 or 4 minutes. Place the dough back in the
bowl
turning it to grease the top. Cover and let rise for 2 to 4 hours.
If you
want, you can skip the second rise in the bowl and proceed directly
to the
next step.
SHAPING AND BAKING THE LOAVES: Knock down the dough and shape
it into 2
long loaves. Place them on a cornmeal sprinkled cookie sheet,
cover and
let them rise for another 2 hours or so.
Toward the end of the
rising
period, preheat your oven to 450 F and begin heating a kettle
of water on
your stove. Just before you put them in the oven, slash the tops
of your
loaves diagonally with a knife 1/4" deep every two inches
and brush with
cold water. Place a baking pan on the oven bottom and put in 3
or 4 cups of
boiling water. Put the loaves on the rack over the steaming water,
close
the oven and bake for about 25 minutes.