Hi McRae, Martin found that the skin that can form on these loaves during the final rise doesn't have a negative impact on the bake and may even provide a little more structure for these delicate loaves during baking. It may be that the top crust prevents too much air from escaping during the bake and allows for a more airier crumb. The high hydration of this recipe does seems to change the rules a bit when it comes to all of this, so I would encourage you to give it a try and see what happens. 

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