Hi Linda, it sounds like your dough might have needed a little more mixing initially, as sometimes lumps of flour can persist in the dough throughout the process if not properly hydrated in the beginning. I think it also sounds like your dough temperature might have been a bit warmer than is ideal, which would definitely make the dough stickier and harder to deal with. I know Martin says you can go up to 110°F liquid temperature if your home is cool, but usung very warm liquid is going to make the dough trickier to work with. Check out our article on Desired Dough Temperature, and consider going with liquid that is more in the 90-100°F range, You might also want to try making this recipe with our Bread flour instead of our Unbleached All-Purpose flour, which should give you a stronger, slightly stiffer dough. If you find folding in the bowl isn't working for you, I would also suggest trying a fold or two on the table with a little flour. With sticky doughs especiallly, it won't hurt to add just a touch of flour with your fold, and I always feel like I have a better sense of how my dough is progressing when I do a table fold. 

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