Judith,
I am not familar with that particular recipe, but the process they are
speaking of is refered to as an autolyse. What you do in the the this
process is mix the water and flour until the water is absorbed and then
after 30 min or so you add the rest of the ingredients and knead. You will
find that you will have to work the dough less to acheive a well developed
dough.
They also my be refering to a form of a sponge process. I use one as
follows to make breads I make:
You make a med to firm spong with flour water and yeast and let it come up
then us it to make the final dough. In some cases the sponge is a
significant part of the final dough.
They my be doing this as whole wheat dough can be a bit difficult to get a
nice smooth dough.
regards,
Matt