This was a very straight forward country loaf. I tried this recipe a couple of times. As can be seen, I played with a stencil the first try and tried to do some simple decorative shaping the second time around. The stencil worked very well. This was a plastic stencil I bought at a hobby and crafts store. It was simply a matter of holding the stencil on the bread, dusting with flour, and carefully removing the stencil. This, of course, is done just before the bread goes into the oven.
With the shaped loaves, I did the cuts too soon. These cuts should have been made just before the loaves went into the oven. When I made the cuts, I wasn't quite ready to put the loaves into the oven. As a result, I didn't get the nice clean definition on the cut areas and the edges tended to round too much. It seems I learning how to make decorative breads one mistake at a time. Overall, the loaves were quite pleasant. The preparation was straightforward and the directions were clear. Still, I've not been won over to whole grain breads yet.
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