Instructions: 1) Measure out the refrigerated biga and let it sit out for 1 hour to take the chill off. Cut it into small pieces.

2. Combine the biga with the other dough ingredients in a mixing bowl by hand or in the bowl of an electric mixer with a dough hook. If making by hand, stir until all the ingredients gather and form a ball. Then turn the dough out onto a floured counter and knead for about 12 minutes. If using a machine, mix on low speed for 1 minute, then increase to medium and mix for 10 additional minutes. As you mix or knead, the dough will lost its coarse, gruel-like texture and become smooth. The dough is ready when it passes the windowpane test and feels neutral to the touch (77 to 80 degrees). It should be tacky but not sticky, with the grains dispersed throughout.

3. Put the dough in a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 90 minutes or till it doubles in size.

4. Grease a loaf pan (9 by 5.. Gently shape the dough into a sandwich loaf and place it in the pan seam side down.

5) If topping with poppy seeds, fold up a wet, clean towel and roll it over the top of the loaf, then sprinkle on the topping. It will stick to the wet dough.

6. Mist the loaf lightly with cooking spray. Cover it loosely with plastic wrap or enclose it in a plastic bag. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes, till it crests above the pan, doming but not mushrooming over the sides.

7. Position an oven rack in the bottom third of the oven, but not on the bottom rung. Preheat the oven to 350. 8. Place the loaf in the center of the rack and bake for 20 minutes. Turn the loaf front to back to insure even browning, and bake for 25 to 35 minutes more. The bread is done when the crust is a deep golden brown on all sides, the loaf sounds hollow when thwacked on the bottom, and the internal dough temperature is about 185. If the bread seems too soft, remove it from the pan and finish it directly on the oven rack; it will brown very quickly.

9. Remove the bread from the oven to a cooling rack, and let it cool for 90 minutes before slicing.

First note:
BIGA
3 1/2 cups (16 ounces) unbleached bread flour 1 teaspoon instant yeast, or 1 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast 1 1/4 cups cool water (65 to 70 degrees)

1. Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Stir with a wooden or metal spoon until the dough forms a ball.

2. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface and knead for about 5 minutes, until the flour is fully incorporated and the dough is smooth and tacky but not sticky. Add a little more flour or water if necessary to achieve this consistency.0

3. Place the dough in a clean bowl large enough to accommodate doubling. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or enclose it in a plastic bag, and allow the dough to rise at room temperature for about 3 to 5 hours, or till the dough increases in size at least 1 1/2 times.

4. Use immediately or punch down, cover with plastic wrap (or put it back in the plastic bag), and retard in the refrigerator overnight.

You can keep this in the refrigerator for up to three days, so could make three or four loaves (depending on how much biga you have). You can also freeze some of it. I cut it into 8 ounce portions and freeze in individual freezer bags. He recommends mixing it one day and freezing it on the next day if you are going to save it.

Second note:
I always use a lot more flour than he mentions. I end up adding almost another entire cup. Not sure if thats a typo or Im doing something wrong, but thats been my experience.

Third note:
MULTIGRAIN BLEND

1 pound polenta (coarse, not finely milled cornmeal)

1 pound rolled oats
1/4 pound wheat bran

This can be mixed ahead of time and kept in a storage container or in a plastic bag in the freezer. Other grains that can be substituted include triticale flakes, wheat flakes, amaranth, quinoa, and rye flakes. Large grains such a rice, bulgur, steel-cut oats, millet, buckwheat groats, or barley must be cooked and cooled first, and can be added as an additional ingredient, staying within the flour to grain ratio (65 to 80 percent bread flour, 20 to 35 percent grain blend described below. He does not recommend finely milled grains like rice flour, cornmeal, or rye flour in the multigrain blend as they dull the bright color of the loaf.

Regardless of the blend, the key is to keep it in proportion to the rest of the dough. To retain the best structure, the dough needs 65 to 80 percent bread (or high-gluten) flour.

NOTES : Its a bit of extra work, but utterly worth it. Its actually gotten me away from using my bread machine except to knead the dough. Before finding this recipe, I was a hard core bread machine user who thought baking in the oven was not worth the trouble.

This recipe made me change my mind. [Leigh]

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