Here is a recipe I found on a blog site (link is below). She has experimented using sourdough starter in addition to the master recipe. Recipes using sourdough starter may be in the next book that Zoe and Jeff are working on. Another site suggested adding 1 c of starter to the basic recipe. Hope this helps. Shelley The Master Recipe: Artisan Free Form Loaf. From Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery that Revolutionizes Home Baking by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois (Thomas Dunne Books, 2007). Copyright 2007 by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. Makes four 1 pound loaves. Note: This recipe must be prepared in advance. 3 cups (720g) lukewarm water 1-1/2 tablespoons (4 1/2 teaspoon) granulated yeast (about 1-1/2 packets) 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (or 3 teaspoons table salt) 6-1/2 cups (940g) unbleached flour, plus extra for dusting dough optional 200g of well fed sourdough starter Cornmeal for the peel (or leave on baking paper) In a large plastic resealable container, mix yeast and salt into 3 cups lukewarm (about 100 degrees) water.(make sure you follow this step. When I skipped it I found a ribbon of undisolved yeast). Using a large spoon, stir in flour, mixing until mixture is uniformly moist with no dry patches. Do not knead. Dough will be wet and loose enough to conform to shape of plastic container. Cover, but not with an airtight lid. (I mix mine in a bowl and then put in a lightly oiled 4.75l decor brand container). Let dough rise at room temperature, until dough begins to flatten on top or collapse, at least 2 hours (takes an hour in Darwin) and up to 5 hours. (At this point, dough can be refrigerated up to 2 weeks; refrigerated dough is easier to work with than room-temperature dough, so the authors recommend that first-time bakers refrigerate dough overnight or at least 3 hours.) When ready to bake, sprinkle cornmeal on a pizza peel. Place a broiler pan on bottom rack of oven. Place baking stone on middle rack and repeat oven to 450 degrees, preheating baking stone for at least 20 minutes. Sprinkle a little flour on dough and on your hands. Pull dough up and, using a serrated knife, cut off a grapefruit-size piece (about 1 pound). Working for 30 to 60 seconds (and adding flour as needed to prevent dough from sticking to hands; most dusting flour will fall off, its not intended to be incorporated into dough), turn dough in hands, gently stretching surface of dough, rotating ball a quarter-turn as you go, creating a rounded top and a bunched bottom. Place shaped dough on prepared pizza peel and let rest, uncovered, for 40 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough or refrigerate it in lidded container. (Even one dayÂs storage improves flavor and texture of bread. Dough can also be frozen in 1-pound portions in airtight containers and defrosted overnight in refrigerator prior to baking day.) Dust dough with flour. Using a serrated knife, slash top of dough in three parallel, ¼-inch deep cuts (or in a tic-tac-toe pattern). Slide dough onto preheated baking stone. Pour 1 cup hot tap water into broiler pan and quickly close oven door to trap steam. Bake until crust is well-browned and firm to the touch, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven to a wire rack and cool completely. http://andreainthekitchen.wordpress.com/2008/05/20/artisan-bread-in-five-minutes-a-day-master-recipe/

I follow Sooner's and others' suggestion about the parchment paper. I place the shaped bread on a paper covered peel and trim away all but an inch or two. The bread & paper slide easily onto a preheated stone. About 2/3 through the baking time, I quickly open the oven door & yank out the paper so the bread bottom crust finishes baking directly on the stone. It's so much easier than worrying about corn meal. I'm glad to see this topic surface again. I was toying with the idea of re-trying this recipe. The bread rose fine for me, and my husband liked it. But I thought the taste was pretty blah, less tasty than other breads I'd made with a pre-ferment. Even after letting the dough "age" in the fridge for several days, I couldn't taste any improvement in flavor. But the convenience can't be beat. That's why I was thinking of giving it one more try.

Linda, If you want to convert a bread machine recipe to a made by hand recipe, try this: in a bowl - put in the water or other liquid called for add in the yeast, whisk to dissolve, let sit 5-10 minutes to "proof" the yeast and made sure it is viable add any sugar, honey, maple syrup or other sweetener called for in the recipe, stir well add half of the flour called for in recipe, add salt and mix well, stirring with a strong spoon or heavy duty whisk also add in any dry herbs or spices now add in any butter, oil, or other fat called for - if melted butter, make sure it is only just warm, not hot - add in any egg(s) listed in recipe add in rest of flour and any other ingredients, chopped herbs, nuts, dried fruits, cheese, etc. stir well with spoon or mix with your hands until dough is a rather shaggy mass turn out dough onto a clean, floured flat surface and knead for 8-10 minutes adding only small sprinkles of flour if the dough sticks to your hands and the kneading surface [if you forgot those nuts, cheese, or raisins, you can knead them in now] when dough has been kneaded sufficiently it will come together into a nice firm ball (rather than a shaggy mass) and spring back when poked with a finger grease or oil a large bowl (or use the one you mixed in), put dough in, turn it around in the oil to grease the top of the dough and turn it oiled side up in the bowl; cover with a bowl cover (shower cap type), plastic wrap, or wax paper, then cover with a clean kitchen "tea" towel (dampened with hot water if you are making whole wheat bread) and set the dough to rise until doubled in bulk turn out dough, knead 2 minutes, divide into portions according to recipe or not - form loaves and put in greased loaf pans or not - cover again with wrap, and let rise until doubled in bulk preheat oven, bake bread until done, let cool at least a few minutes before cutting - and enjoy!

blueheron, Did you use course salt (kosher or sea salt)? The dough should be wet but not so wet you can't do anything with it. I mix the ingredients in my KitchenAid just until blended then dump it into a big stoneware bowl I've got. I leave it on the counter, loosely covered with plastic wrap, for 2 or 3 hours. Then I deflate it with a plastic spatula (really, the thing from my rice cooker) and dump it on the well-floured counter (since I'm usually baking one loaf that day). I keep a spice jar (that once held sesame seeds) about half full of flour and shake enough flour onto the dough that I can touch it without sticking. I cut off a lump - sometimes 1/4 sometimes 1/3- with a bench knife/scraper then scoop the rest of the dough into a container with a loose fitting lid for it's fridge time. I use a piece of cornmeal sprinkled parchment paper on a flat cookie sheet and let it sit for about an hour. I preheat the baking stone, sprinkle the slash area with the flour (from the spice jar) and cut with a sharp paring knife -somtimes freshly run through the sharpener gadget. I cut about 1/4-1/2" deep then slide the paper onto the stone (and of course add the water to the other preheated pan). I think a lot of it is not adding too much flour to the interior of the dough. Disclaimers: I use KA bread flour - haven't tried any others yet. I also live at 7000' elevation in a very dry climate with a generally cool house. I haven't made the bread anywhere else, so YMMV.