Once the starter has activated and doubled in size, pour the rest of the flour out on a clean, dry surface and make a well in the center.
Divide the butter. For the dough you need about 1/2 cup, cover the rest and set apart for later.
Sprinkle the salt in the flour around the outside part of the well, we don’t want the salt to touch the starter directly.
Mixing tip: If you have a large mixer with a bread dough hook you can use it, the kneading time will be greatly reduced. However, you have to continually watch it to get to the right consistency, which we describe and show in the manual kneading instructions.
Add the eggs, half of the butter in pieces, another tablespoon of sugar, and the orange zest to the center of the well and, with your fingers, begin mixing, bringing in the flour from the inner edge of the well bit by bit.
We recommend that you try to keep the sides of the well raised high, so that the yeast mixture does not create a dam break and flood over the work surface when it is added to the dough.
Pour the active yeast starter into the well and continue mixing, the dough will feel wet in the center of the well, but as you continue to integrate the flour it will begin to firm up.
Add the other half of the butter and keep kneading.
Add 1/2 tablespoon of the orange juice and continue kneading, if you feel that the dough needs a little more liquid because it is dry (you will know this because you will see how it peels off in layers and you will see flour between them) add another 1 / 2 tablespoon of juice.
Separate 1/4 cup of sugar and set apart for after the bread is baked.
Roll out the dough and sprinkle the rest of the sugar on top, then continue kneading.
You will notice that while you are integrating the sugar the dough will get sticky again, this is completely normal, that is the reason why we added the liquid before the sugar, if it is done the opposite way, less liquid would be used and in the end the dough would be dry.
Continue kneading and little by little you will see that the dough will become less sticky on your work surface and your hands. It will feel wet, but will start to take on more body.
In the beginning, if you were to stretch it, it would break, but as you knead it, you will see how the gluten develops and how the dough becomes smoother and more elastic.
If you are kneading by hand, the process will take about 20-22 minutes (if you are using a mixer, it might take only 10 minutes). Be sure to keep a glass of water nearby to drink, or your favorite beverage, put on some music you like, and enjoy the kneading.
Kneading by hand takes love and patience. It’s very comforting, however, to feel the dough changing and responding to touch, and I enjoy smelling the exquisite butter and orange fragrances wafting from the dough.
After 20 minutes or so you’ll notice that the dough is stretching and not breaking, and is elastic and has a little pull to it.