I love the suggestions shared in this post, and I shall try a few, especially the chopping one. I've had good success with the folding technique. But I'd like to add another one to the list here: I consistently knead my artisan bread in the bowl. I don't knead on the counter. I've found that this works wonderfully well and I can keep my ratios spot-on, as I've weighed out my ingredients ahead of time, and as I add water, the "mess" is contained. And sure enough, the dough always does its miraculous changes. I think I'm sort of using my hand like one would use a dough hook (I don't have a stand mixer). It's a pattern of scoop-and-push with my right hand as my left hand does a quarter-turn of the bowl. I have my bowl on a cloth so that it turns easily, and the whole system is slick as can be. The bread - even very wet dough - ultimately comes out onto the work surface for final stretch and turn and rest periods before baking. But it's pretty slick, and I'm hooked on doing it this way. You might want to give it a try.

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