By mixer

Stir the yeast into the warm water in a large mixer bowl; let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.  Add 3 cups water and the starter (biga) and mix with the paddle until well blended.  Add the flour and salt and mix until the dough comes together and pulls away from the side of the bowl, 1 to 2 minutes.  You may need to add another 1 to 2 tablespoons flour.  Change to the dough hook and knead at medium speed for 3 to 5 minutes.  The dough will be very soft and elastic but will never pull entirely away from the bottom of the bowl.  If you want, finish kneading by hand on a floured surface with floured hands until the dough loses it stickiness and is soft and velvety, about 1 minute.

First Rise

Place the dough in a lightly oiled large bowl or plastic tub cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let rise until tripled, about 3 hours.  Do not punch down.

Shaping and second rise 

Flour your work surface generously, flour a dough scraper and have a mound of flour nearby for your hands.  Pour the dough out of the bowl, flour the top, and cut into 2 or 3 equal pieces, depending on how many loaves you are planning.  Flatten each piece of dough and roll it up lengthwise, using your thumbs as a guide for how tight the roll should be.  Turn the dough 90 degrees, pat it flat, then roll up again still using your thumbs as a guide.  Shape each piece into a ball by rolling the dough between your cupped hands and using the surface of the work table to generate tension and pull the dough taut across the skin of the dough.  Place the loaves on a floured parchment paper set on baking sheets or peels cover with a heavy towel or cloth and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Baking

Thirty minutes before baking, heat the oven with baking stones in it to 450 degrees F.  Five to ten minutes before baking, flour the tops of the loaves and dimple them all over with your fingertips.  The imprints will disappear but will keep the bread from rising crazily in the oven.  Let stand 5 to 10 minutes.  The loaves will feel as soft as a baby’s bottom when ready to bake, although you will notice a bit of resistance in the dough.  Sprinkle the stones with cornmeal.  Italian bakers turn the dough over into the oven very carefully with a swooping motion that scoops up some of the flour on the peel.  You may prefer to slide the loaves onto the baking stones without turning them over, or, if they are on baking sheets, the loaves can be baked directly on the pans.  Bake until golden brown and crusty, about 50 to 60 minutes for the larger loaves, 30 to 35 minutes for the smaller ones.  Check by knocking on the bottom of each loaf and listening for the hollow ring that indicates it is cooked through, but if you’re in doubt, bake for the longer time indicated.   Cool on racks.

Variation

To make puccia, the traditional olive-studded bread of Puglia, knead a scant 8 ounces pitted small salty black olives into the dough after it has been mixed.  Let the dough rise until triples.  Divide into pieces the size of a lemon (7 ounces or 200 grams) and roll each piece into a ball.  Let rise again covered until doubled and bake at 425 degrees F for 20 to 30 minutes.

 Or I mix in 25 grams each of wheat bran and wheat germ, 75 grams of ground flax seed and 200 grams of whole wheat flour then enough of all purpose flour to equal 1000 grams. I am not real picky on being exact except I want at least 600 grams of all purpose flour.