Biga (Indirect Method)
The explosion of the world of pizza and long leavening has brought to light many different methods for kneading dough. Among the most recurring themes are the use of the biga, a pre-dough obtained by mixing water, flour, and yeast that is very easy to make at home.
Although it seems like a modern thing, the doughs with the biga are the classic doughs of the Italian bakery tradition. This method is typical of the Bel Paese because historically Italian wheat has always been weak and difficult to process: the use of the chariot was, therefore, necessary to facilitate the absorption of water and improve the structure and lightness of the bread.
What is the biga?
The biga is nothing more than a pre-dough to be used in baking with the indirect method, obtained with proportions of water, flour, and yeast. This method has conquered the world of pizza in recent years but has always been used in traditional bread making. In fact, a lot of bakeries use the biga because it gives the bread a better crispness, more perfumes, and a longer life. Given the presence of lactic acidity, it allows hindering the creation of two very dangerous bacilli that cannot develop with the use of the chariot. Furthermore, the biga allows the bread to retain all the nutrients of the flour even after cooking.
The biga is used above all in the recipes proposed by great bakers and white art experts who sometimes prefer it to mother yeast for some recipes. Unlike mother yeast, in fact, the biga is prepared with normal yeast, it does not require excessively long leavening periods and is in any case a guarantee of excellent results.
How to prepare the biga
As mentioned, the biga is a pre-dough that is prepared with flour, yeast and water. Specifically, the proportions to be respected are the following: for a given dose of flour 00 or 0 (the important thing is that the W, that is the strength, is greater than 300), add 45-50% of water at 17 ° C and 0.5-1% yeast.
We knead everything until there are no more lumps, as quickly as possible.
It is then left to mature under a clean cloth for 16-20 hours at a temperature between 18 ° and 20 ° C.
Once matured, the dough will have an aftertaste similar to that of yogurt and can be used for the preparation of bread, pizzas, and focaccia. It will be added to the remaining ingredients and the final dough should be left to rise until doubled (it will take 2-3 hours).
Biga for pizza: ingredients
For the preparation of the biga for pizza, the proportions are slightly different and soft wheat flour will be used.
For the biga: 500 g of flour 0, 250 ml of water, 3-5 g of yeast.
For the dough: 500 g of 0 flour, 450 ml of water, 1 teaspoon of salt, 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, biga.
