HAL 9000 wrote:

> I'm not upset or surprised, but the recipe would be helpful. The OP says
> the big holes were a product of the recipe and not the kneading, but without
> a recipe, how much the particular starter has contributed to those results
> is a little hard to determine.

Well... that's what I thought.

It seemed like a the opening to a good thread, and, one that might have
generated Northwest a bit of credibility beyond her commercial
enterprise.

If I was looking for big holes in a batard, I would have taken my dough
after bulk proof and massaged it very gently into a long, narrow,
rectangle. I would have mentally divided it into thirds and determined
which third would become the loaf's top. This third, the loaf's future
top, would have been pressed to eliminate gas pockets. The rest of the
dough would have been left alone. After folding, like a letter, and
sealing, I would warm proof. The 2/3 of the dough with minimal handling
would have nice, large, irregular holes and the top 1/3 would not have
a fly-away crust. There are vairants of this technique. You can roll
the dough, instead of fold... but the key is to degas the section that
will become the top and leave the rest alone.

It works with my homegrown starters. I suppose it would work with
Northwest's. If you read this please send me $3.50 <g>.