Biga is a type of

pre-ferment A pre-ferment (also known as bread starter) is a fermentation starter used in ''indirect'' methods of bread making. It may also be called mother dough. A pre-ferment and a longer fermentation in the bread-making process have several benefits: t ...

ation used in

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

baking Baking is a method of preparing food that uses dry heat, typically in an oven, but it can also be done in hot ashes, or on hot Baking stone, stones. Bread is the most commonly baked item, but many other types of food can also be baked. Heat is ...

. Many popular Italian

bread Bread is a baked food product made from water, flour, and often yeast. It is a staple food across the world, particularly in Europe and the Middle East. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cu ...

s, including ciabatta, are made using a ''biga''. Using a biga adds complexity to the bread's flavor and is often used in breads that need a light, open

texture Texture may refer to: Science and technology * Image texture, the spatial arrangement of color or intensities in an image * Surface texture, the smoothness, roughness, or bumpiness of the surface of an object * Texture (roads), road surface c ...

with holes. Apart from adding to flavor and texture, a biga also helps to preserve bread by making it less perishable. Biga techniques were developed after the advent of

baker's yeast Baker's yeast is the common name for the strains of yeast commonly used in baking bread and other bakery products, serving as a leavening agent which causes the bread to rise (expand and become lighter and softer) by converting the fermentable ...

as bakers in Italy moved away from the use of

sourdough Sourdough is a type of bread that uses the fermentation by naturally occurring yeast and lactobacillus bacteria to raise the dough. In addition to leavening the bread, the fermentation process produces lactic acid, which gives the bread its dis ...

and needed to recover some of the flavor that was given up in this move. Bigas are usually dry and thick compared to a

sourdough starter Sourdough is a type of bread that uses the fermentation by naturally occurring yeast and lactobacillus bacteria to raise the dough. In addition to leavening the bread, the fermentation process produces lactic acid, which gives the bread its dis ...

. This thickness is believed to give a biga its characteristic slightly nutty taste. Biga is usually made fresh every day, using a small amount of baker's yeast in a thick dough, which ranges 45–90% hydration as a

baker's percentage Baker's percentage is a notation method indicating the proportion of an ingredient relative to the flour used in a recipe when making breads, cakes, muffins, and other baked goods. It is also referred to as baker's math, and may be indicated by a p ...

, and is allowed to ferment from 12 to 16 hours to fully develop its flavor. For some home bakers, ''biga'' is used to refer to naturally leavened sourdough made with a stiff starter, without using baker's yeast.

Etymology

For this leavening the term "poolish" is sometimes used, which derives from the mispronunciation of the English "Polish" or the German "polnisch". It probably derives from the fact that the biga was known in Poland, and was learned by Austro-Hungarian bakers thanks to the Poles; from there it arrived in England.

References

External links

The Artisan on indirect baking
Italian breads {{bread-stub

Etymology

See also

References

External links