Instructions

1. Put yeast and warm water into the bowl of electric stand mixer fitted with dough hook and let sit until yeast has softened and begins to foam. Add the biga and stir on a low speed using the dough hook for about 30 seconds. Add salt and both flours to the yeast mixture, using the smaller amounts of flour at first. (Up to a quarter-cup of each flour may be added if the dough appears too sticky during kneading.)
2. Knead in the stand mixer for 6 minutes, using the manufacturer's recommended speed setting.
3. While dough is kneading, oil a large mixing bowl and one side of a piece of plastic wrap. Transfer dough to bowl, turning it to coat it in the oil. Cover the bowl with the plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise until doubled in bulk. Depending on the temperature, this may take between 1 and 2 hours.
4. When dough has risen, turn it out onto a floured surface. Deflate dough and cut it into 2 or 3 equal pieces. Shape each piece by flattening and rolling into a long oval or torpedo-like shape, pinching the ends into points. Make a few shallow slashes across the tops with a sharp knife if desired. Place each loaf on an inverted baking sheet or a rimless cookie sheet lined with parchment. Cover loosely with more oiled plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes to an hour.
5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. If you use a baking stone in your oven, it should be put into the middle of the cold oven at this time and heated at least a half-hour before baking the bread.
6. When the oven has properly heated, carefully slide the parchment holding the loaves onto the baking stone. (Alternately, you may bake the bread on the bottom side of the baking sheet or on the rimless cookie sheet.) Bake for about 40 minutes (slightly less for smaller loaves), or until bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when you tap the bottom crust.
Remove bread to wire racks to cool.

For the Biga:
Ingredients:
1/4 cup warm water (about 100 degrees)
1/4 teaspoon dry yeast
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon warm water
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Instructions:
1. Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water and let sit until slightly foamy. Add in the rest of the warm water and stir to combine. Gradually stir in the flour and mix well. You will have a starter that looks like a sticky dough.
2. Oil a medium bowl or 8 cup plastic storage container and transfer the biga to it. Cover with a sheet of lightly oiled plastic wrap and let rise for 24 hours on your counter top.
3. After 24 hours, the starter is ready to be used in the recipe above. It can also be transferred to the refrigerator, covered, for use over the next 5 days. Bring refrigerated biga up to room temperature before using in any recipe.

Recipe courtesy of Jane Ward, Food & Fiction (Blog), 2010.