Prefermented

Prefermented dough comes in three varieties: biga, poolish, or pâte fermentée. Biga is the Italian version of a preferment and is composed of a ratio of 50–60 percent water weight to 100 percent flour weight, along with a small amount of yeast. It typically ferments from anywhere from 8–24 hours. A poolish is a French version (actually it was brought to France by the Polish by way of Vienna, hence the name) of a preferment. It consists of equal weights of water and flour, along with a small amount of yeast. The poolish is typically fermented for 12–15 hours. This preferment is the heart and soul of baguettes. And last, but not least, is pâte fermentée, which means “old dough” in French. It’s nothing more than a piece of dough leftover from another recipe that has been allowed to ferment in the refrigerator. To incorporate this preferment, add a ratio of about 30 percent pâte fermentée by weight (or a little more or less if it better suits your taste) to 100 percent flour weight to one of the straight dough recipes. This is a great way to add some flavor to a recipe if you’ve thought ahead—which I just can’t ever seem to remember to do—and reserved from dough from a prior recipe.