Tom Jaine

To Make a Biga

Yeasted Starter

Preparation info
    • Difficulty

      Medium

Appears in
Making Bread at Home
Making Bread at Home

By Tom Jaine

Published 2005

  • About

The Italian biga is a piece of matured dough with a speck of yeast in it. It gives loaves a more interesting texture than they would get from a simple yeast dough ripened for only a few hours.

Ingredients

  • 225 g/8 oz unbleached white plain flour
  • 7 g/¼

Method

Make a well in the middle of the flour, crumble in the yeast and add the water. Mix to cream the yeast, then extend the mixing to incorporate the flour.

Mix until all the dry flour has been taken up, then knead on a work surface to a stiff and smooth dough. Leave in a bowl covered with clingfilm overnight (12 hours or more) at a temperature not less than