I made this bread yesterday, and I, like Pamela, wondered about the lack of water except for the 1/2 cup in the biga. As I kneaded, stopping every 3 minutes, I realized that my dough looked nothing like the picture above. It was extremely dry, and there was nothing to scrape off the sides and bottom of the bowl. I always use the recommended "fluff, scoop and sprinkle" method of measuring flour, so I'm pretty certain that it wasn't a matter of mismeasurement. So I kept adding water, a little at a time until the dough looked and felt right, soft and somewhat sticky. I opted to make a three strand braid, and had no trouble shaping it at all. I also found that using the SAF gold yeast, the rising times were about half the listed times - doubled in one hour for first rise, about forty-five minutes for second. This bread had a HUGE oven spring, and took about ten minutes longer to bake (it really was BIG!), but I have to say that this is one of the most delicious loaves I've ever baked, and I've baked quite a few! I used 3/4 cup dried cranberries and 1/4 cup European candied orange peel for the dried fruit, everything else exactly as listed in the recipe. Moral of the story - let the dough tell you what it needs!

• Reply