The Biga and the Poolish are two fermented doughs, and are part of the process of preparing the leavened products with the Indirect Method. The preparation of a dough with an indirect method consists in the initial processing of a loaf, called leavened, and then in the addition of the other ingredients. Depending on the consistency, this dough can be biga (if compact) or poolish (if soft). The doughs prepared via the indirect method have many positive characteristics, including greater aeration of the product, the lack of direct contact between salt and yeast, and a better distribution of yeasts during processing. The longer leavening times allow a breakdown of the proteins such as to allow greater aromatization of the final product.
The poolish comes in the form of liquid, while the chariot is a solid dough. This is due to the different quantities and proportions of water / flour inside the product. Consequently, even in the manufacturing process, the two preparations will have different characteristics. The poolish allows a shorter fermentation time, but this implies a lower digestibility and flavor of the final product.
Here's how to prepare these two doughs.
Preparing a biga requires the use of stronger and more balanced flours, characterized by a W index greater than 300 and a P / L ratio (i.e. the ratio between strength and elasticity) with a value ranging between 0,5 and 0,6. Short mixing times are also required, a fermentation that can vary from ten to forty-eight hours in duration at variable temperatures. Ideal 16/18 ° for '' fast '' chariots at 24 hours, or 4 ° in the first phase and 18 ° in the second for '' slow '' chariots at 48 hours. The final temperature of the product must not be higher than 21 ° centigrade.
Here are the ingredients for a 'typical' recipe:
The flour used must necessarily be of the right type, i.e. strong type (W300), and with a protein content of about 15%. The flour must have these characteristics in order for the yeasts to assimilate the necessary nutrients during fermentation. The water must instead be measured by calculating about 40/42% of the weight of your flour. The yeast will represent about 1% of your flour and must be carefully dosed. In general, it is important to pay close attention to the dough temperatures, those of the water and your leavening environment. Temperature is a key element in preparation, as it is an integral part of successful processing.
Also note that yeast and water are subject to various changes in ambient temperature.
The recipes used tend to vary if the preparation takes place in the summer or winter.
When the room temperature is around 25 ° C, the recipe will change slightly, here's how to rebalance the recipe:
An idea would be to reduce the amount of yeast from 1% to 0,7% of the weight of the flour, and add about 0,5% of salt, in order to slow down the fermentation.
In winter, on the other hand, it would be ideal to increase the quantity of water by about fifty percent and (only in the case of particularly cold environments), to increase the yeast by very little (1,1%).
Be careful not to use water that is too hot when kneading, the dough could become too elastic. The biga is a coarse, cohesive but not elastic dough. Here is a simple formula that will allow you to calculate the optimal processing temperature:
Water Temperature = 55 - Ambient Temperature - Flour Temperature
The ingredients vary particularly according to the expected rising times, diversifying the poolish into rapid poolish or longer matured poolish. In principle, here are the necessary ingredients.
The flour must be of medium strength, characterized by a W 240 index.
The water will be measured at the same weight as the flour (1: 1 ratio), while the yeast will be the variable factor in our preparation.
In fact, this will be influenced by the rising times: the higher the percentage of yeast, the longer the time needed for the poolish to mature.
Here are some sample measurements:
You will be able to say that your dough will be ready once a slight depression has been created in the center of the work. The smell should not be too pungent and it will be necessary to pay particular attention to the timing of fermentation. In the worst case, you could find yourself with an excessively acidic preparation, a circumstance that would affect the gluten mesh of your dough, leading to too compact processing results.
Sometimes it is used to add an additional small amount of yeast (brewer's or sourdough) to the finished dough, and then let it rise again.
The temperature of a poolish at the end of processing is about 23 °, particularly dependent on the water present in the mixture. Also in this case, you will be able to determine the ideal temperature thanks to a simple formula.
Water temperature = 70 - Ambient temperature - Flour temperature
In conclusion
Both the biga and the poolish are two excellent doughs for indirect method leavened products. The preparation method and the recipes are simple in themselves, but must be followed with care in order to obtain the best results.
Using these two preparations in your recipes will lead to slightly different results: the biga will allow you to prepare more honeycomb, irregular and soft doughs. The poolish, on the other hand, allows the preparation of products with small and regular alveoli, with a crunchy crust and stronger flavor.
In short, if you want to obtain an effect of this type on your pizzas, experiment with this technique at least once.
