I use 1 1/2 cups water instead of 1 5/8, use dry bread machine yeast (mixed dry with the flour), 1 1/4 teaspoons of salt, and a couple of rounded teaspoons of sugar. I rise for 18 hours plus the two hours at the end. I dispense with the whole towel nonsense and just let it rise the last two hours on a bed of flour. Then I gently pick it up and put it in a heated cast iron dutch oven (with a lid), and it has been perfect every time. One batch I put in black pepper and rosemary and lemon peel (at the beginning), and that was delicious. Next batch will be using 1/3 rye flour and a bit of caraway seed, and the batch after that will have shredded parmesan and sliced calamata olives. This recipe is very resilient and reliable.