Sorry I'm so late, I just pounded through a good dozen newsletters ...
Reggie, you've been busy!
First and most important: READ THE BOX on any large plastic bags you think
you might use for proofing boxes (or storing large quantities of any food).
Many "trash bags" are impregnated with insecticide ... NOT good for your
bread or your body. If the box says "not recommended for food storage" or if
you detect a volatile "non-plastic" kind of odor when you open up the bag,
think twice.
On to more pleasant topics: Marianne Becktel asked a number of questions
about Frank's amazing bread. Yes, I add the "next day dough" to the first
starter ... making a large amount of very slack dough. The starter,
especially if allowed to grow slow, is fine on its own if you don't have some
saved from last time. I once got jammed and let the starter ferment for 2.5
days, and it was the best bread ever.
Can you cut down a recipe this big? Most of our readers probably have no
choice! I've made it in half-batches, but since I can manage the full amount
and it goes so fast here...I usually go the whole route. The special flour
was a Canadian brand that Frank found and I regret I've forgotten the brand
name. I've used King Arthur, sometimes with extra gluten if I need my
exercise, and the bread has been great.
The bowl is an English monster called a "Gripstand" ... it's a wonderful
butter-beige on the outside and creamy white on the inside. I got it years
and years ago at Marshall Field's in Chicago. On the bottom it says G.Green
Ltd and Church Gresley (I'm guessing on the CH in Church, those letters wore
off long ago) and was made in England. The bowl probably weighs about 10#
itself, but I wouldn't part with it for anything. On a more sensible note,
you can find huge stainless steel bowls at commercial cookware shops and
occasionally through Williams-Sonoma or King Arthur. And, frankly, if you
have a 20-quart stockpot, it should work fine. Just don't make your dough in
a poisoned bag!