Wanted: Bread Buddies for 45 Loaves We Love

from Macrina Bakery....Good luck and please keep me posted on your success. Best Matt

• For the Biga Starter:
• 1 cup filtered water, at room temperature (about 65° F)
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup (2.25 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (2.25 ounces) stone-ground whole wheat flour
•  
• For the Dough:
• Biga Starter
• 1-1/2 cups lukewarm filtered water (about 80° F)
• 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 2 teaspoons amber agave syrup
• 4-1/2 cups (20 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2-1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• Cornmeal, for sprinkling the baker’s peel

Make the biga starter the night before you wish to make the bread. Pour the water into a medium bowl, sprinkle the yeast on top, and whisk to dissolve the yeast. Gradually add the flours and whisk for about 3 minutes to break up any lumps and begin developing the gluten. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for a minimum of 10 hours. If you wish to hold the biga starter longer than 24 hours, refrigerate it to slow down the fermentation. The biga will keep for up to 4 days in the refrigerator, but it will develop a more sour taste as the fermentation continues - this adds to the biga’s acidity, which in turn lessens its leavening power. Therefore, for best results, I prefer to use the biga within 2 days of making it.
  Lightly oil a medium bowl with canola oil. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a clean cotton flour-sack towel and sprinkle it heavily with flour. Set aside. Fill a spray bottle with water and set aside.
  To make the dough, using a rubber spatula, scoop the biga into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add the water, yeast, and agave syrup, and mix on low speed for 1 minute. Gradually add the flour and salt; when all the flour has been incorporated, increase the speed to medium and mix for 12 minutes. Toward the end of the mixing time, you’ll hear the dough slapping against the side of the bowl; this is an indication that the dough is the right consistency. With floured fingers, pinch a big piece of dough and pull it away from the mass. It should stretch about 3 inches without tearing - it will feel a bit like a rubber band. If it tears, mix for another 1 to 3 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, transfer the dough into the prepared bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise at room temperature until it has almost doubled in size, about 2 hours.
  Next, do a baker’s turn on the dough. Re-cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise again at room temperature for another 2 hours.
  After the dough has risen, invert the bowl onto a well-floured work surface and gently pull out the dough. Shape it into an 8-by-12-inch rectangle, then halve it lengthwise, creating 2 baguette-shaped loaves. (One of this loaf’s characteristics is the irregular hole structure in its interior, so don’t over-manipulate the dough. Your goal is to have a fairly consistent thickness so it will bake evenly - but keep those random air pockets.) Place the loaves on the prepared towel, spacing them 2 inches apart. Pull the towel up in the middle to form a “wall” between the loaves. (There’s no need to cover them - you actually want them to dry out a little so they’re easier to transfer to the oven.) Let the loaves rise for another 30 minutes.
  About 20 minutes before baking, place a baking stone on the center rack of the oven and preheat to 450° F.
  Sprinkle a baker’s peel with cornmeal. Using both hands, pick up the first loaf and flip it over so that the floured side is facing up. Repeat with the second loaf. Quickly place the loaves on the baker’s peel and load onto the baking stone, spacing them 2 inches apart. Using the spray bottle, heavily mist the inside of the oven with water; the steam will help the loaves expand to their fullest potential before the crusts set. Mist twice more during the first 10 minutes of baking. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the loaves are deep golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes before serving. The loaves can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days wrapped in plastic.

http://www.saveur.com/gallery/Best-American-Bread