Pane Francese

Iadapted this recipe from one in The Village Baker by Joe Ortiz (Ten Speed Press, 1996). This was originally developed for the food processor, but I make it in the bread machine instead. What a great recipe—the smell! The texture! It uses a lievito naturale for leavening power, a yeasted biga sponge that is very soft and looks like a perfect soft vanilla ice cream swirl after mixing. Pane francese means French bread in Italian, but this loaf is a