Soak the lentils with water overnight. At least 24 hours.

Drain soaking water, rinse and drain clean water. Allow to germinate with no water.

Rinse and drain water for 2 more days until most of the lentils have sprouted.

Make your levain the night before baking. See

Soak the whole wheat flour in the water.

Blend lentils to chop into finer pieces.

Sift you bread flour into a bowl. I do this because some bread flours are very refined and clumpy. Sifting helps remove those clumps.

Add your levain to wholewheat flour water and stir to mix. It does not have to dissolve.

Add your bread flour to the levain water. Allow your dough to autolyze, allowing the flour to completely absorb all the liquid making it easier to work with.

Let it rest for 30 minutes.Set timer for 30 minutes

Add salt and chopped lentils to the dough

The dough is now ready for bulk fermentation where it will develop its flavor and body! Ambient temperatures between 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit will take 3 hours for bulk fermentation

Add salt to autolysed dough.

Using wet hands, pull and stretch the dough out at the top and fold it back on itself, I then rotate the dough a quarter turn and do the same thing 16 times. (4 complete revolutions!) See

Let dough rest for 30 minutes. You will notice that the dough will become more pliable with time. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes. Don’t forget to set your timer! Set timer for 30 minutes

Knead dough

Let it rest for 30 minutes.Set timer for 30 minutes

Knead dough

Let dough rest for 30 minutesSet timer for 30 minutes

Knead dough

Let dough rest for 30 minutesSet timer for 30 minutes

Knead dough

Let dough rest for 30 minutesSet timer for 30 minutes

Knead dough

Let dough rest for 30 minutesSet timer for 30 minutes

Knead dough. The dough should be soft and pliable. If not, continue bulk fermentation for another 30 mins - 1 hour.

Pull dough out of the container, weigh your dough and divide accordingly if making smaller bolles. This recipe is for 1 large loaf. However, you can make 2 smaller bolles by dividing you dough into 2 bolles and using a 2 quart cast iron dutch oven.

On a floured surface, lightly dust your divided dough with flour and work it into a round by pulling it towards you and rotating. It should become somewhat taut as you pull the dough. Part of your goal is to remove most of the air bubbles that were created during the fermentation process. See Cutting and Shaping your Dough in my Tips & Tricks section.

Let it sit for 10 minutes. Set timer for 10 minutes

Shape again. See Cutting and Shaping your Dough in my Tips & Tricks section.

Prepare your banneton (Coiled rattan baskets for proofing) by generously dusting the bowl or banneton with your bread and rice flour mixture. Dust the tops of your loaves with flour and place it in a bowl or banneton to rise.

Cover your bowls with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place for 2 and a half hours. I usually put this in my oven with the oven light on. Proof dough for 150 minutes

Take your dough out and preheat oven with your cast iron dutch ovens. (Should take about half an hour depending on your oven. This will be a total of 3 hours of proofing. I have proofed bread for 4 hours. However, overproofing your dough with cause your dough to lose its ability to have enough strength for the "oven-spring" (the last rise in the oven as a result of intense heat).

Place dough in a plastic bag and let rise for 1 hour.

Place dough in plastic bag in the refrigerator and proof for 48 hours.

The dough should be loose but not impossible to handle after proofing. If you are new to bread baking, you can use the following ways to get your dough into the cast iron pot. Take a piece of parchment paper that will generously cover the top of the bowl/banneton. Place it over the bowl/banneton. or move your bowl / banneton over the cast iron dutch oven, flip the bowl / banneton and gently lower into the dutch oven. or if you have a cast iron skillet / dutch oven set as shown on my "Helpful Tools" section. Place the shallow skillet over the proofing bowl / banneton and flip. After scoring, cover the dough with the dutch-oven section and place it in the oven with the skillet on the bottom.

Score the bread by cutting it with a razor blade, bread lame, or a pair of scissors.. Scoring the bread allows the dough to expand during baking and gives your dough a pretty design. See Scoring your dough in my Tips & Tricks section. Cover with lid.

Reduce oven temperature to 450°F

Bake for 25 minutes. Smaller 2 quart bolles should bake for 20 minutes.Set timer for 25 minutes for large bolle Set timer for 20 minutes for small bolle

Remove the lid and continue baking for an additional 25 or 20 minutes respectively.Set timer for 25 minutes for large bolle Set timer for 20 minutes for small bolle

Remove from oven and remove from dutch oven and let cool on wire rack.

If you are baking 2 loaves: To bake the second loaf, after removing the first loaf, bring the oven temperature back to 500 degrees, wipe the dutch oven with a clean dry towel or paper towel, place the dutch oven in it for 10 minutes and bake according to recipe.