2¾ cups unbleached bread flour (I used all-purpose)
¾ teaspoon salt
½ cup cool water
¼ cup biga (starter dough), see recipe above
Additional flour for work surface
2 teaspoons roughly-chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons milk
Olive oil for bowl
Cornmeal for baker's peel
Coarse sea salt
Instructions
Dissolve the yeast in the warm water in a small bowl. Set aside for 15 minutes.
Measure the flour into a large bowl; form a well in the center then add the yeast mixture, cool water, and starter dough. Stir together with a wooden spoon until too resistant to be stirred.
Knead the dough briefly in the bowl then turn out on a lightly-floured work surface.
Knead vigorously for 20 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Include some 1- to 2-minute rest periods along the way. (Whenever I found the dough a little too sticky, I dipped the heels of my hands in flour before proceeding.)
Return the dough to the bowl and add the rosemary and milk. Gently knead them into the dough until they are completely incorporated. (Don't worry if the dough falls apart because of too much liquid. This is what happened to me and I'm glad I didn't give up on the recipe. It will work, promise!) Shape the dough into a ball as much as you can.
Rub another large bowl with olive oil and place the dough inside it. Cover it with a dish towel and let rise at room temperature until it doubles in size, about 1½ hours. After this time, punch the down the dough by folding the edges into the center. Cover and let rise a second time until doubled, about 45 minutes.
Form the dough into a football-shaped loaf. Cover the loaf with a towel and let rise at room temperature for about 50 minutes. (For this rise, I set the dough on my pizza peel sprinkled with cornmeal). The dough is ready when it springs back gently when lightly pressed with your finger. While you wait, place a baking stone in your oven and preheat to 425°F.
Mist the preheated oven with a spray bottle and quickly shut the oven door. Using a sharp serrated knife, make one slash about ½-inch deep along the length of the loaf. Sprinkle some coarse sea salt into the slash.
Slide the loaf onto the baking stone and mist the oven again. Bake the loaf until it's golden brown on top, dark brown on the bottom and sounds hollow when you tap it, about 40-50 minutes (it took a little less time in my oven). Cool completely before slicing.
Notes
From the Il Fornaio Baking Book
Recipe by Lemons + Anchovies at https://lemonsandanchovies.com/2012/12/panmarino-italian-olive-bread-and-biga-a-starter-dough-recipe/