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1
combine all ingredients and mix well until a smooth dough forms that pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
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2
Cover and let ferment in a cool place (below 65F) for at least 12 and up to 24 hours. If you don't plan to use the biga after the initial fermentation, stir it down and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
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3
Put the biga in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the rest of the ingredients except the salt, and stir on low until combined. Cover and let rest for at least 20 min. (Autolyse soak.)
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4
Sprinkle the salt over the dough, and mix with the dough hook on medium speed for 7 minutes.
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5
Lightly oil a large bowl. Turn the dough out into it, turning once, and cover. Let rise in a warm place for 30 min.
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6
First fold: uncover the dough, and wet your hand with cold water. Reach under the dough, pull up a third, stretch it out slightly, and fold it over the top. Give the bowl a quarter-turn, and repeat three more times. Recover the dough and let rest 20 min.
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7
Fold the dough one more time. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1.5 hours.
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8
Lightly flour your work surface. Turn the dough out onto it, lifting it once to resettle it into an even distribution. Spread a line of flour down the middle of the dough, marking the line where you'll divide it with a bench scraper. Divide the dough. Move one dough to the side. Gently spread out the other dough, and fold the corners up and over the center, brushing any loose; fold the second dough. Let them rest, seam-side up for a few minutes.
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9
Preheat the oven and dutch ovens at 450F. Flour two bannetons. Turn the dough balls over, and round them until the skin is taut. Place the doughs the the bannetons, seam-side up. Place each banneton in a plastic bag (grocery-store vegetable bags work wonderfully), and put in a warm, draft-free place to rise until the dough is starting to crown above the basket.
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10
Gently turn the dough out onto a very-lightly floured board. Slash the top, and carefully place it in the preheated dutch oven. Put the covers on the dutch ovens (remember to use mitts!) and put them into the preheated oven. Bake for 30 min. Remove the covers and bake for an additional 20 to 25 min., until the dough is golden and the internal temp. of the dough has reached 190F. Carefully remove from the baked bread from the ovens, and let cool on a wire rack for at least an hour before slicing.
