This blog post is a life saver! I just finished my fifth or sixth loaf and each one is getting better. My biggest problem is the pre-shaping and shaping steps because the dough is so sticky. After some advice from you and other KA bakers, and a lot of practice, I finally got it right. For some reason (local humidity, variation in my scale, etc.) my dough was too sticky. I found that if I add flour during the kneading step, about a half tablespoon at a time and just until the dough pulls away from the mixer bowl, that I am able to handle the dough much more readily after it rises and get that perfect football shape. Thank you so very much for taking the time and effort to write such detailed descriptions with pictures, they are a fantastic guide.

Be well, and have a happy, healthy and safe holiday season!

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