Rustic Sourdough Bread

1 cup sourdough starter
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1 pkg or 2 tsp instant yeast
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 1/2 tsp. salt
5 cups all-purpose flour

I don't have a cloche so I used a clay roaster.

Combine all of the ingredients and mix and knead, by hand, bread machine, or mixer to make a smooth dough. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover and allow to rise until it is doubled in size, about 90 minutes.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and gently shape it into a large ball. Place the ball in the base of a cloche baker, cover with the lid and let rise until very puffy, about 1 hour. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Make two fairly deep diagonal slashes in the dough with a serrated knife.
Bake the bread for 30 to 35 minutes, removing the lid of the cloche for the final 5 minutes, or until the bread turns a very rich golden brown. Remove the bread fron the oven, and cool on a wire rack.

Serving Size: Makes 20 2.25oz slices

Number of Servings: 20

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user LMGILHAM.