Step 1

Stir all ingredients together.

Step 2

Let sit at room temperature, loosely covered, for 12-16 hours

Step 3

Mix all the ingredients together in a big old bowl or in the bowl of your stand mixer.

Step 4

Cover loosely, and let stand until very bubbly on top and almost doubled in volume, about 4-5 hours.

Step 5

Dump the rest of the ingredients in with your sponge. Start with the lesser amount of water.

Step 6

Mix until the dough comes together, adding water if necessary. The resulting dough should be smooth, only slightly sticky and fairly extensible.

Step 7

Once the dough is mixed, knead by hand for a good 15 minutes or for about 7 minutes on medium-low speed on the stand mixer.

Step 8

Shape dough into a smooth ball and put right back in your bowl. Brush the top with olive oil and cover.

Step 9

Let the dough rise in a warmish place until doubled in bulk, about 3-3 1/2 hours.

Step 10

Evenly press the gases out of the dough, fold it over on itself several times, and divide the dough into two equal parts. Each of my loaves scaled at 21.7 ounces, but yours will vary depending on how much water you ended up adding.

Step 11

Shape each half into a rectangle and then roll up, tucking the ends of the cylinder you've just made under.

Step 12

Place the dough, seam side down, in lightly sprayed bread pans. Mine were 4 1/2" by 8 1/2".

Step 13

Let the dough rise until almost doubled in bulk, another 1 1/2-2 hours. Preheat the oven to 375F.

Step 14

Brush the loaves evenly with the egg wash. You can slash the tops of the loaves with an oiled razor or just leave them alone.

Step 15

Bake on the lowest rack for about half an hour, or until the internal temperature of the bread is around 205F and the loaf sounds hollow when you thump it.

Step 16

Let the loaves cool on wire racks for at least an hour before slicing and devouring.