To make the kind of rustic breads your favorite bakery produces, you need patience and a few pieces of equipment. A pizza stone, water misting bottle, and pan of water for the oven are necessary to get the crisp crust. Your flour makes all the difference, so try a few brands made from hard winter wheat and see how each affects the final product. This makes a dense, crusty loaf, filled with intense wheaty flavor.

Four hours before mixing the dough, make the sponge. In a ceramic bowl, mix the 1 cup water, 1 cup of the flour, and 2 teaspoons of the yeast. Cover the bowl with a dampened kitchen towel and set somewhere warm to ferment for 4 hours, after which the sponge should be bubbly. At this point, you can refrigerate the sponge overnight, then let it sit for an hour to come to room temperature before mixing the dough.

Pour the sponge into a stand mixer bowl or large mixing bowl, and fit the mixer with the dough hook. Plump the raisins by soaking them in hot water, then draining. Mix the 1 cup warm water with the malt syrup and stir it into the sponge. Combine 1 cup of the remaining flour with the remaining 2 teaspoons yeast, gluten flour, and salt and mix into the sponge, then raise the speed of the mixer and beat for 2 minutes to activate the gluten. Knead the dough, adding the last 2 cups and 2 tablespoons of flour as needed to make a soft, slightly sticky dough. Knead the dough for 10 minutes. Knead in the raisins and walnuts. Oil a large mixing bowl, and transfer the dough to the bowl. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and put it in a warm place to rise for 2 hours, or until tripled in bulk.

Spread the sesame seeds on a baking sheet with no rim or a pizza peel, having them close to one edge, so that the seeds will act like little furniture feet to slide the loaves onto the stone. Punch down the dough, and cut the mass in half. Tuck the edges under, shaping each loaf into an oval or round. Try to tuck the raisins inside, so they will not stick out and burn. Place the loves on the sesame seeds, at least 4 inches apart. Cover loosely with a damp towel and let rise for at least an hour, until the loaves are doubled in bulk.

Preheat a pizza stone for 30 minutes at 425°F. Put a small pan of water in the bottom of the oven, and have a water mister close by. When the stone is hot, use a sharp knife to slash the loaf tops quickly, then use a long metal spatula to help slide the loaves onto the stone, trying not to deflate them. Spritz with water and bake for 20 minutes, spritzing again after 5 minutes.

When the loaves sound hollow when tapped with a finger, they are done. Cool on racks completely before slicing.