Country Bread

My songs worked well on my warm stove. The dough also worked well according to the directions and I was delighted with the amount of whole wheat flour. My confusion started with the shaping of the loaves. For me 15 X 4" is not an oblong, but an extreme rectangle. To achieve this shape, the dough had to be more than "slightly flattened". The first loaf I tried to shape by patting, but the second I very quickly formed into shape with my rolling pin. I couldn't understand how 3 to 4 widely spaced slits could form a cross-hatch pattern on this long, skinny loaf and I did not want to risk that this thin loaf would deflate. I was supposed to put it on a well oiled sheet, but I put it on parchment as it usually works well for me. Don't do this! You brush it with water twice and some must have soaked into the bottom crust. I bagged the bread while slightly warm and instead of a crispy crust, I ended up with a very soft crust. But it did have a great sour tang and was the perfect bread to cut up and serve with soup for a crowd.