I was so intrigued (sp) that I had to go right in the kitchen and mix the starter. I added a couple of tablespoons of extra water after reading some of the comments. I had nice bubbles in the starter to greet me today when I checked the bowl. It was about 10 hours when I started my dough. I added about a tablespoon of sugar to mine because of habit. I made 6 rolls using the same braiding technique since I wanted as much crust as possible. The rolls were magnificent with the best texture in the inside that I have ever made. My dear husband said the rolls were the perfect thickness for sandwiches, not too much dough in the middle. The crust was not quite as crisp as I wished, but still very good. I was very careful not to knead in too much flour, I used my bench scraper to keep kneading by hand before I finished off to a good medium firmness. I normally use a food processor but I was determined to make my best effort and it really paid off. I made a corned beef and sliced it thin to serve on the rolls. One thing I did differently, I put a pan of boiling water on the bottom rack hoping to get a better crust, one of the bakers at the Wal Mart said they steamed the rolls before they baked them. Has anyone ever steamed the outside of theirsbefore baking. That is why I used the water in the bottom of the oven. Next time I will try my steam cleaner or clothes steamer to get a better crust texture. I have one recipe with smoked sausage wrapped in dough that is dipped in boiling water then in butter before baking. that does a beautiful crust. I made that recipe up to make something similar to the bagle dogs from Schwans frozen foods. I use the cheddar smoked sausage for the meat in the center or good kosher hot dogs. This dough would work well in that recipe. I already have another batch of starter mixed for tomorrow. Thank you so much for the recipe. It will be with me until I can no longer bake my own bread. I will visit this site often in the future. Maxine, thanks so much for connecting here. Steam does indeed make a crisp, somewhat (minimally) shiny crust. When making artisan breads, I often put a shallow pan on the lowest rack of the oven, then add a cup of hot water at the same time I put my bread in the oven. I also usually spray the bread with water before baking. Boiling the dough (like bagels) produces more of a shiny/chewy crust than crisp, I've found. I'm interested in what would happen if you steamed bread in your clothes steamer first - report back, please! Glad you found us - PJH

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