Biga and sourdough: the secrets of perfect leavening

How to get a digestible and fragrant dough in a few hours? Thanks to the biga! This is a pre-dough that differs from sourdough for some characteristics: let's discover them together.

The importance of leavening in pinsa

What makes a pizza or a Roman pinsa light and digestible? The right answer is in one word: leavening.

When we talk about this process, we immediately think of waiting times what is needed for the dough to reach the correct maturation: it is precisely on this point that the two leavening methods we will talk about here differ, the one with sourdough starter and the one with chariot.

What is a sourdough dough?

The sourdough starter, also called natural yeast, is the oldest used for bread making: the process to make it takes time, but only two ingredients are needed, water and flour, even if Some recipes call for the addition of sugar, yogurt or honey.

Water and flour are kneaded until a homogeneous consistency is obtained: the resulting dough, usually a small ball, is left to rest inside a glass container, initially left open and at most covered with gauze or film. In fact, it will be the air that creates the formation of the microorganisms that will make the dough ripen.

It is necessary periodically to “to refresh” the compound with more water and more flour to keep the yeast alive, which can then be used in the quantities needed to make bread and other baked goods.

Natural yeast has the characteristic of giving the dough a complex flavour and rich aroma, but it is essential to treat and preserve it with great care.

What is biga?

So what is biga? Unlike sourdough, it is a pre-dough (fermented dough) made of flour, water and yeast: it has a hydration of approximately 50% and is made the day before and mixed together with the new dough for the following day.

The biga guarantees the dough a faster leavening: its name in fact derives from the “bighe”, the ancient Roman chariots used in war, precisely because it has the property of “dragging” the dough towards optimal maturation.

What does indirect dough (with biga) mean?

When using biga, we speak of leavening with indirect dough, which therefore involves two phases: in the first, a pre-dough is prepared (starter) which is precisely the biga, in the second phase this already leavened pre-dough is used and the remaining portions of ingredients are added (more flour and water, salt and, if necessary, oil).

We will therefore have two leavenings, the first in the pre-dough and the second which will be the final one. The biga leavens from 6 to 24 hours depending on the places where the dough rests:

• 6 hours at room temperature;
• 24 hours in the fridge using the cold technique.

The benefits of using biga in baking

Let's ask ourselves, at this point, why use a dough with biga: what are its advantages?

The biga contributes to develop the flavour of the bread and improve the alveolation of the crumb. The process itself promotes the development of complex and deep flavors, giving the bread a unique fragrance and delicacy. In addition, the biga helps improve the structure of the crumb, making it more alveolated and light.

Biga is therefore highly appreciated for its ability to give bread an authentic taste and a golden crust, thus representing a fundamental element in the artisanal tradition of bread making. Furthermore, it promotes better conservation of the product and can be used for reduce the overall rising time of the main dough.

To sum up:

• More intense taste and aroma in the finished product;
• Alveolation more developed;
• Better digestibility;
• Minor yeast consumption. 

In the latest generation Di Marco flours, we added the biga in our blends to speed up the maturation process. The final result stands out for superior quality, high digestibility and that intense flavour of ancient bread that will conquer you at the first taste!

Seeing is believing.