Bread Baker's Apprentice: Poilane-Style Miche

Above is my attempt at Peter Reinhart's recipe for the oft-cited and oft-copied Poilane Miche. Mine doesn't have the characteristic scoring pattern, because I made it in the clay BreadPot. The loaf is almost entirely whole wheat flour, although I did cheat and throw in about 3/4 of a cup of white flour to lighten the taste. In retrospect, the only thing I would change would have been to proof a little longer, for a more open crumb. It's a dense bread by nature though, and the other night it earned its place in kitchen history by participating in the creation of what may be Matt's favorite sandwich of all time, a sandwich so extraordinary he was throwing around Fight Club language with abandon, a no-holds-barred bacon and cheddar grilled cheese that pushed that chewy, strong bread to its highest purpose. The bacon, which came in a chunk from The Meat Hook in Williamsburg, was a salty Tennessee Mountain wonder, whose like we rarely see. Maybe not a life-changer, but definitely a game changer. And this bread got to participate.