@daisy,
My bust!
Ok, here it is:
My pre-ferment is leftover dough from when I make pizza.
To make that, dry active yeast (1packet), some salt (I just eyeball it), bread flour, and about 16oz of whole milk.
Yep, you read right. Whole milk. It makes for a more tender pizza crust.
Mix the ingredients till a smooth ball forms.
Put the dough in a bowl that has been coated in olive oil. Cover with a lint free towel and place in a warm draft free area.
In the winter, I have to put it in the oven that has been on Keep Warm for about 10 minutes.
Depending on how warm it is, the dough will rise. Punch it down and allow to rise again. Punch down again.
On a well floured clean surface, roll out the dough and kneed into a well formed ball. You should be able to put your finger a inch into it and it will bounce back.
Let it rest for 10 minutes.
Cut off how much you need for the pizza crust.
Put the rest into a container and put it in the fridge.
Some say for over night. I have found a few days it will develop a more complex flavor. Think, good crusty French bread.
Pull it out of the fridge a few hours before you plan on making bread. Allow to come up to room temp.
Take your regular white bread recipe, and adjust for the amount of pre-ferment you have on hand as it will make up for some of the dough. I go for about a 50/50 mix of dough to pre-ferment.
As you mix the bread dough, add pieces of the pre-ferment to mix well. Note: The pre-ferment has developed some degree of alcohol. That is normal. It will even have an alcoholic smell to it. And, it should tear away easily.
Once all the ingredients have mixed well, proceed as your regular bread recipe says.
Post here your results!