The Dough

Remove the supporting board and let the sponge cover a larger space in the trough; pour over it twenty-nine quarts of water and three pounds of salt dissolved in a part of the water, then mix the whole together until the sponge is well blended; then dredge over the half of the remaining flour and knead well together with the hands, giving them a vertical rotary movement, going and coming from one end to the other of the dough; it should now be rather soft and begin to acquire body. Pour the remainder of the flour in one layer over all the paste and knead it once more, but this time cutting it into small pieces with the hands and superposing these pieces at once, one on top of the other; as soon as all the flour is absorbed, then push all of the dough to one end of the trough. Cut from the whole of it a piece weighing twenty-five pounds; knead it strongly, blowing and beating it forcibly against the sides of the trough, which means to take the piece of dough by the two lateral ends, raise them to the height of the chest, stretching out the dough and bringing it down heavily against the sides of the trough in such a way as to imprison all the air possible, and give it consistency; repeat the same operation with the remainder of the paste. Superpose the pieces of dough as quickly as they are done, one on top of the other, at the other end of the trough; repeat this operation a second time, then a third and even a fourth time, until the dough has acquired the desired body, then gather it together into a small space in the trough, holding it up with the well-floured board wedged against it. Dredge over lightly with flour, cover and leave it to rise for one hour. The dough is then ready to mold.