Biga Recipes On The Net Food

BAGELS

Steps:

• For the biga: Mix the water, flour and yeast together with your hands in a large bowl until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature for about 12 hours.
• For the dough: Add the flour, malt powder, sugar and salt to the biga and mix with your hands to combine; the dough will be very tough and thick. Continue to knead and fold the dough onto itself until it is very smooth, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a large greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature until it has almost doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Punch down the dough, divide into 3-ounce portions and roll each into a small log.
• Roll a log with the palms of your hands to about 10 inches long. Wrap the dough around the knuckles of one hand to form a ring and, while pressing the two ends down, roll to seal. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining logs.
• Allow to rest, uncovered, at room temperature until the dough has risen slightly, 45 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes.
• For baking: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or lightly oiled parchment paper. Bring a wide pot filled halfway with water to a rapid boil. Stir in the molasses. Add the baking soda and stir until the bubbles subside.
• Gently drop 4 bagels into the pot and boil for 30 seconds, then turn over using a slotted spoon and boil for 30 seconds more. The bagels will turn light amber brown and puff slightly. Place onto the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with some desired topping, pressing to adhere. Repeat with the remaining bagels.
• Bake until the bagels are well browned and spring back to the touch of your finger, about 18 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

BIGA

Steps:

• Place the warm water in a small bowl, and sprinkle the yeast over the top. Let stand until yeast has dissolved and is foamy, about 15 minutes.
• Measure flour into a large bowl. Make a well in the center, and pour in the yeast mixture and cold water. Use a sturdy spoon to mix it together until sticky and difficult to stir, but nevertheless thoroughly combined. Cover and allow to ferment for 24 hours in the refrigerator before using.
• Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. To use, rinse a measuring cup in cool water, scoop out the amount of starter needed, and bring to room temperature.

BIGA

Steps:

• Sprinkle yeast onto the 1/4 cup warm water and let stand approximately 10 minutes until creamy.
• Add rest of water, stir.
• Add flour, one cup at a time and stir.
• Mix with wooden spoon for approximately.
• 4 minutes.
• Oil a bowl three times as large as the mixture's volume and scrape dough into that bowl.
• Cover with plastic wrap and let rise 8-24 hours in a cool room or until triple in volume.
• The longer it sits, the more character it develops.
• If you let it go too long, it will take on sour overtones similar to sourdough starter as a result of the acidic by-products of yeast metabolism.
• If the room is cool enough--60-65 deg.
• F, 24 hours will yield a nice, mellow-flavored biga.
• You only need your first biga to get started.
• Then it is simply a matter of making bread at least once a week or so if you have refrigeration to keep the biga alive.
• If you don't have refrigeration, you would want to make bread every day and save a portion of the new dough you make each day as a starter for tomorrow's bread.
• Just take that portion BEFORE you add salt to the new bread dough.
• In this case, you would keep tomorrow's starter at room temperature.
• Use as you would a sourdough starter.
• For a rough guide, use approximately one cup of biga for a bread recipe calling for 7-8 cups of flour.

SOURDOUGH BIGA FOR ITALIAN BREAD

Steps:

• In medium bowl pour starter and warm water, mix until smooth. Add flour and beat until smooth, about 3 minutes, it will be quite stiff.
• Oil a large, deep bowl, scrape biga into it, cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise for 12 - 18 hours, it will likely rise up and then fall back in on itself.
• Use as directed for the biga in your favorite Italian bread recipe or in the Chewy Italian Bread recipe #176167.

BIGA

Steps:

• Stir together the flour and yeast in a 4-quart bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). Add 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the water, stirring until everything comes together and makes a coarse ball (or mix on low speed for 1 minute with the paddle attachment). Adjust the flour or water, according to need, so that the dough is neither too sticky nor too stiff. (It is better to err on the sticky side, as you can adjust easier during kneading. It is harder to add water once the dough firms up.)
• Sprinkle some flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Knead for 4 to 6 minutes (or mix on medium speed with the dough hook for 4 minutes), or until the dough is soft and pliable, tacky but not sticky. The internal temperature should be 77° to 81°F.
• Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and ferment at room temperature for 2 to 4 hours, or until it nearly doubles in size.
• Remove the dough from the bowl, knead it lightly to degas, and return it to the bowl, covering the bowl with plastic wrap. Place the bowl in the refrigerator overnight. You can keep this in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze it in an airtight plastic bag for up to 3 months.
• Commentary
• Biga will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for about 3 months. You can use it as soon as it ferments, but just as for poolish and pâte fermentée, I prefer to give it an overnight retarding to bring out more flavor
• In Italy nearly every pre-ferment, including wild yeast or sourdough, is called a biga. So if you are making a recipe from another source that calls for biga, make sure you check to see exactly what kind of biga it requires. In this book, biga refers to the particular ratio of ingredients listed here.
• You can substitute all-purpose flour for the bread flour if you prefer, or blend all-purpose and bread flour as in pâte fermentée.
• BAKER'S PERCENTAGE FORMULA
• Biga %
• Bread flour: 100%
• Instant yeast: .49%
• Water: 66.7%
• Total 167.2%

100% WHOLE GRAIN BREAD WITH BIGA/SOAKER

Steps:

• .Mix the biga ingredients, cover and let rest for 1 hour at room temperature. Then, refrigerate for 3 to 18 hours.
• Mix the soaker, cover and rest for 4 to 19 hours.
• To make the bread, warm the biga at room temperature or in low heat (
• Spread the biga on a floured counter and layer the soaker over that. Cut dough into 12 pieces and add to mixing bowl.
• Add the remaining ingredients and mix and knead for 7 - 8 minutes. Rest for 5 minutes and knead for 1 to 2 more minutes until a moderate windowpane is achieved.
• Do a stretch and fold. On a lightly floured counter, stretch the dough into a rectangle and fold it like a letter going into an envelope. Turn 90 deg and fold again. Invert and place in an oiled bowl or straight sided clear container.
• Rest for 20 minutes and do another stretch and fold and return to container.
• After the dough has risen to one and a half times it's original volume (30 to 45 more minutes), turn out onto a floured counter.
• Shape into loaves and pan. Let rise, covered with oiled plastic, for 45 minutes or so or until loaves are risen to 150% of their volume.
• Bake in preheated 375F oven until 190-200F internally, about 35-40 minutes. Cool on rack before slicing.