Crusty Whole Wheat Bread

From Jim Lahey, featured in Martha Stewart Living

• 2 1/4  cups unbleached bread flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1 1/3 cups cool water (55°-65°)

Mix together the flours, salt and yeast in medium bowl. Add the water and mix well using a spoon or your hands till the dough is wet and sticky. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature until dough doubles in volume and little bubbles rise to the surface, about 12-18 hours.
Transfer dough to floured surface, using spatula to scrape dough from bowl. Lightly flour your hands and fold edges of dough in toward the center, then shape into a loose round. Generously dust a clean towel with flour, wheat bran or corn meal and place the dough in the center, seam side down. Dust the top lightly. Fold the ends of the towel loosely over the top of the dough and let stand in a warm place till dough is almost doubled in volume, 1-2 hours. When ready, dough will not spring back when pressed.
After dough has risen for 30 minutes, preheat your oven to 475° with rack in lower third of oven. Heat a 3 1/2 quart ovenproof pot or dutch oven for 30 minutes or till dough is ready. Remove pot from oven, unfold towel and quickly invert dough into pot, seam side up. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover pot and bake till bread is dark brown, about 10-20 minutes. Carefully remove bread from pot and transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.