1 ts Dried yeast
1/4 c Warm water
3 1/2 c Water at room temperature
13/16 c Biga Pugliese, see recipe
3 3/4 c Wholewheat flour
3 3/4 c Unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tb Salt
1/3 lb Walnuts -=OR=-
1/2 c Shelled pistachios -=OR=-
1/3 c Pitted Italian black olive,
— all optional
Stir the yeast into the warm water & let proof for 10 minutes. Add the
remaining water & the biga, then the flours & the salt. Mix with a
wooden spoon for 5 minutes. The dough will not pull away from the
side of the bowl. Wet your hands & knead on a lightly floured board
to ensure that all the ingredients are well mixed. Turn into a
lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap & let rise at room
temperature until it has almost tripled in volume, 3 to 5 hours. This
dough works very well if left to rise overnight or in the
refrigerator. Let it come back to room temperature before shaping.
Flour your work surface very well & flour a scaper. Turn the dough
onto the work surface, but do not punch down. Divide into 3 equal
pieces. Work in your filling if using by flattening the dough &
sprinkling equal amounts of filing over the dough. Turn in the sides
of the dough & roll each piece into a ball, being gentle but at the
same time pulling the skin taut. Place the loaves on floured
parchment paper set on baking sheets, cover with a heavy cloth & let
rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 450F. Bake the
loaves for 15 minutes. At this point the dough should be set you can
remove the paper. Slide the loaves directly onto the baking sheets &
bake until crusty & golden, about 30 to 35 minutes.
Yields
3 Sm. loaves