| 1 | Stir the yeast into the warm water & let proof for 10 minutes. |
| 2 | Add the remaining water & the biga, then the flours & the salt. |
| 3 | Mix with a wooden spoon for 5 minutes. |
| 4 | The dough will not pull away from the side of the bowl. |
| 5 | Wet your hands & knead on a lightly floured board to ensure that all the ingredients are well mixed. |
| 6 | 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. |
| 7 | This dough works very well if left to rise overnight or in the refrigerator. |
| 8 | Let it come back to room temperature before shaping. |
| 9 | Flour your work surface very well & flour a scaper. |
| 10 | Turn the dough onto the work surface, but do not punch down. |
| 11 | Divide into 3 equal pieces. |
| 12 | Work in your filling if using by flattening the dough & sprinkling equal amounts of filing over the dough. |
| 13 | Turn in the sides of the dough & roll each piece into a ball, being gentle but at the same time pulling the skin taut. |
| 14 | Place the loaves on floured parchment paper set on baking sheets, cover with a heavy cloth & let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. |
| 15 | Preheat the oven to 450°F. |
| 16 | Bake the loaves for 15 minutes. |
| 17 | At this point the dough should be set you can remove the paper. |
| 18 | Slide the loaves directly onto the baking sheets & bake until crusty & golden, about 30 to 35 minutes. |
