Unlike a sourdough starter, a biga is a fresh starter made the night before you intend to make bread. Biga is Italian; the French equivalent is poolish. As with anything bread, there are literally hundreds of recipes and learned discussions of these fresh bread starters on the web. This is my simple experiment that...
Provided by Heidi Hoerman
Categories Other Breads
Time 16h
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- 1. 10-12 hours before you intend to make the bread (longer if the room is cold), start the biga by stirring together the first four ingredients in a large bread bowl.
- 2. Cover with plastic wrap and allow the biga to sit at room temperature for 10-12 hours. It will double in size and be full of holes, looking similar to the raw side of a pancake ready to be flipped.
- 3. Stir 3 cups of flour and the second cup of water into the biga until a raggy mass develops. Flop this onto a well floured counter and knead (push and fold) about 100 strokes, add flour as needed to keep it from sticking to your hands and the counter. Try to add as little flour as possible. Too dry a dough results in heavy bread.
- 4. Form the dough into a ball. Put 1 tablespoon of oil into the bread bowl and roll the ball of dough in it to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and put someplace warm and still to rise. An oven with the light on is a good rising environment. Allow to rise about 2 hours until doubled in size.
- 5. Punch the dough down, knead briefly and form into one large loaf, two small loafs, or rolls. The pictured loaves were made in a French bread pan lined with parchment paper.
- 6. Allow the formed loaves to rise another hour or until doubled in size.
- 7. Preheat the oven to 350F. Brush the risen loaves with the other tablespoon of olive oil. Bake about one hour. Longer for a large load, less time for rolls. As ovens differ, you will want to check the bread for doneness by rapping it on the bottom with your knuckle. It should sound hollow. If it thuds, cook ten more minutes and check again.
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Bezabih Bogale
[email protected]I'm so glad I found this recipe. It's a keeper!
James Craig
[email protected]Simply amazing! This bread is a game-changer.
Fatema Aktet
[email protected]This bread is a must-try for any bread lover. You won't be disappointed.
Tawhid Op
[email protected]I highly recommend this bread recipe. It's one of the best I've ever tried.
free fire 123
[email protected]This is my go-to bread recipe. I love how easy it is to make and how delicious it is.
Muhammad Alman
[email protected]I've made this bread several times now and it always turns out perfectly.
Kenneth Junior
[email protected]I love that this recipe uses a biga. It really makes a difference in the flavor and texture of the bread.
Gift Kavishe
[email protected]This bread is so soft and fluffy. It's perfect for sandwiches or toast.
Odeh Barth
[email protected]The crust on this bread is perfect. It's crispy and flavorful.
Sara Perez
[email protected]I love the flavor of this bread. It's so rich and flavorful.
Jessica Ogwuche
[email protected]This is the best bread recipe I've ever tried. It's so easy to make and the results are amazing.
Muhammad Daud
[email protected]I'm not a big fan of bread, but this recipe changed my mind. This bread is so good, I could eat it every day.
Dagim Aynalem
[email protected]I made this bread for a party and it was a huge hit! Everyone loved it.
TTV Adil
[email protected]This bread is perfect for sandwiches, toast, or just eating on its own. It's also great for freezing.
Katie Stout
[email protected]I've tried a lot of different bread recipes, but this one is by far my favorite. The biga makes all the difference.
young 22
[email protected]I was a bit intimidated by the biga process at first, but it was actually really easy. And the results were worth it! The bread was delicious.
Abderrahmane Allali
[email protected]This biga bread recipe is a keeper! The bread turned out so flavorful and had a perfect crust. I'm definitely making this again.