Option 1 – you are using dry yeast. Dissolve the yeast in ¼ Cup warm water (not over 37 degrees), mix with rest of water and salt. No need to wait for 15-20 minutes for the yeast to take effect, Richard believes that it is useless!!! Sift the flour into a bowl, make a deepening in the middle and gently pour the water with dissolved yeast. A spoon or scraper in a circular motion starting at the edges knead the dough, the bowl with the other hand we just rotate around its axis. Kneaded until then, until the dough will gather into a single lump. Option 2 – you have fresh yeast. Add the yeast to the flour, sifted into a bowl, and little fingers begin to RUB the yeast with flour until fine crumbs. Then add water with dissolved salt and the same as in option 1, we start to gather the dough together, into a ball.

And when the dough is gathered together, you need to dump it on the table, on which not a single gram of flour!!! When I saw that my dough had a big wad of soft, thick, but awfully sticky porridge, I realized that I needed to add flour, while clearly not one spoonful. But Richard says: "No!!!" And, believing in the word the French Baker, I started to knead the dough, as written in the book. Most importantly, as indicated by the Bertin that the dough in no event it is impossible to knead by hands, as we used to. The main goal is to saturate it with oxygen. To do this, take the dough and stretch in different directions.

Then do the big swing hands, first from myself and then together with the test to itself, trapping air, and fold the dough in half.

Then again in hand...

... and up, stretching the dough and then potyka it.

And so it should be done until then, until the dough will not fully come off from the surface and become smooth and elastic.

At first it was awful! It stuck to his hands!!! And I didn't want to come unstuck from the table;))) Some times I automatically reached into the container of flour. But stopped myself, and lo and behold! Each stroke of the hand it became less sticky and more silky and supple. I have vymenila it, not adding one spoon of flour! It's incredible, but it's a fact! Now I know why I used sometimes the dough was too thick and dense, I'm just during kneading add extra flour!!! Once the dough becomes to come unstuck from the table, put it on a floured surface (it will be) and formed from his balloon. It is necessary to take the edges and turn them inward, to the center.

Press down to the center of the region stronger, and turn the dough in a circle.

Then the ball should be turned upside down and tuck the edges.

A bowl greased with a little vegetable oil to prevent dough from sticking to the bowl, add the dough, cover with towel or wrap and put in a warm place (not in any way in the oven, the dough will dry up there) and leave to rise for 1-1. 5 hours. Avoid drafts, the dough is not terribly fond of them!!!

The dough should increase in volume twice.

Based on this test, you can prepare a great variety of products. Gradually I'll introduce you to some of them. For a start it will be bread "Fougasse" http://www.povarenok .ru/recipes/show/755 58/