I've been making this bread for several months now. It comes out differently every time. My big question is: after you let the starter, flour and water sit overnight, you add 5C more flour the next day. Do you then add more water? I've found it impossible *not* to add more water...up to 1.5cups. Is this a huge no-no? I'm mixing this bread on my own--no mixer. Thanks for the advice and fantastic website and recipes! Megan, if the bread's texture seems right to you, then I guess you're managing to balance your flour and water, somehow. The recipe as written (1 cup fairly liquid starter, 1 1/2 cups to 1 2/3 cups water) makes a dough with a minimum hydration of about 63% - which is about average (not too stiff, not too soft). If you add an additional 1 1/2 cups water, that would bring your hydration up over 100% - which is basically pourable liquid. Are you using King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, rather than bread flour? Are you measuring your flour by weight (5 cups = 21 1/4 ounces), or by the "sprinkle and sweep" method? I'm guessing either you're using a high protein flour, or measuring it differently than we do here. You may want to speak to the folks on our baker's hotline about this - a two-way dialogue might get to the bottom of this more quickly than posting here... So give 'em a call, OK? 802-649-3717. Thanks for connecting here - PJH

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