This is a gigantic bread. Before it is baked and water weight is lost it weighs 5lb. It is also a seriously good bread that gets better as it ages. The flavor is hearty, slightly acidic and full. It is mostly made with whole wheat flour (I had to add a smidge of white flour as my whole wheat wasn't high extraction whole wheat).
The history of the bread seems to be that it was eaten by the early settlers of Canada, and by Europeans for many generations before this. It would last a while and it would still be good to eat after a good while.
It did take 3 days to make as it was a bread that was made with a levain, however in the Hamelman book it does suggest that you make it in two days, but at school we made it in three, so I thought I'd just do what I know. This bread is a really wet bred, so make sure to flour all surfaces really well. I did make a stencil for this bread but I had floured the surfaces it touched so extensively that I couldn't use it anymore!
