Many of the recipes for classic regional breads, such as this ciabatta recipe, begin with a starter dough made from small amounts of flour, water, and yeast allowed an initial fermentation. The starter, known as biga in Italy, or bighino when in small amounts, not only gives strength to what in Italy are weak flours, it also produces a secondary fermentation from which come the wonderful aroma, natural flavor, and special porosity of the final loaves and wheels of bread.
The important point about a biga is that the breads made with it develop a wonderful taste because their risings are long and bring out the flavor of the grain. Another benefit is that the loaves remain fresher and taste sweeter than those made with large amounts of commercial yeast.
In Italy, bakers use dough from the previous day’s baking to start a new dough. I keep some starter on hand at all times; by having it around, I can decide to make pane pugliese or ciabatta in the morning and have it for dinner that night. Because the first biga must come from somewhere, though, you may make it following the instructions below. It’s remarkable. It freezes very well and needs only about 3 hours at room temperature until it is bubbly and active again, or it can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.–Carol Field
LC Obliged to Biga Note
Behind each and every memorable bite of proper Italian bread we’ve daintily nibbled, hungrily inhaled, or otherwise somehow consumed, we have a biga to thank. So we’re feeling much obliged to Carol Field for this recipe. Nonna not included.
Italian Biga
Ingredients
- 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 3/4 cup plus 4 teaspoons water, preferably bottled spring water, at room temperature
- 2 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- Vegetable oil, for the bowl
Instructions
- Stir the yeast into the 1/4 cup warm water and let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
- Stir the spring water into the creamy yeast mixture, and then stir in the flour, 1 cup at a time. If mixing by hand, stir with a wooden spoon for 3 to 4 minutes. If mixing with a stand mixer, beat with the paddle at the lowest speed for 2 minutes. If mixing with a food processor, mix just until a sticky dough forms.
- Transfer the biga to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise at cool room temperature for 6 to 24 hours, until the starter is triple its original volume but is still wet and sticky. (The bakers I admire most advise 10 to 11 hours for the first rise, but others are very happy with the 24 hours it takes for dough to truly become yesterday’s dough, and if you like sour bread, allow your biga to rest for 24 to 48 hours or even 72 hours.)
- Cover and refrigerate or freeze the biga until ready to use. (If refrigerating the biga, use within 5 days. If freezing the biga, let it rest at room temperature for about 3 hours until it is bubbly and active again.) When needed, scoop out the desired amount of biga for your recipe and proceed. I strongly recommend weighing the biga rather than measuring it by volume since it expands at room temperature. If measuring by volume, measure chilled biga; if measuring by weight, the biga may be chilled or at room temperature.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
This is a perfectly suitable starting point for most any bread which uses a starter. I bake bread several times a week and it’s nice to have this handy. Sometimes I add this to a bread dough which doesn’t call for a starter just for the added flavor.
Shan, if you will be proofing over night ,you probably will not need any more yeast. But a pinch more will be fine, if you so choose. I rarely use more than a quarter teaspoon of dried yeast and make loaves as big as my head!
Looks a great addition to my homemade breads. How much of the biga (%) should i use in a bread recipe ? Thx for your feedback
Hi Shan, if you are making the ciabatta, the recipe specifies the amount of biga. If using it in other bread recipes, my testers recommend using it as you would a sourdough starter.
Hey Beth, so if i get i right: if a bread calls for 15 grams of sourdough I can swap that with the biga and maybe a extra pinch of yeast in the final dough?
Hi Shan, there is a great discussion in the comment section on using the biga as a starter. Have a look at this and if you still have questions, I’ll reach out to Larry Noak and see if he can give you specific advice.
Hi Lori, technically, this is not intended as a traditional sourdough starter but could easily be turned into one. I would feed it maybe 3/4 cup of unbleached AP flour and 1/2 cup of water every other day or so. First take about half of the starter and either use it or dispose of it. After a week or two, it should nearly double every day and be bubbly. Then, you may want to feed it every day or refrigerate it. If refrigerated, once a week, let it warm up to room temperature, feed it and refrigerate it again.
Your public library undoubtedly has many resources to, help you with keeping a starter. If you do this,you can share your starter with your friends at any time and you will always have some on hand for yourself!
Thank you Larry. I will try a starter this fall. I wanted to use it for ciabatta bread. I have made three of them this last two weeks & they turned out flat. I checked the yeast, temperature & everything I could think of. Not sure what happened. …Lori
I wondered if this would become a sourdough starter at some point if you’re not feeding it more commercial yeast.
It’s possible, TracyKM, but a biga isn’t meant to be continuously fed. You make it and use it or freeze it within a few days, and then make another batch when you need it.
Thank you!
You’re welcome.