|
Edited on Wed Feb-25-09 12:39 AM by grasswire
From Sunset magazine, this biga gets an ice water treatment in order to retard the rising:
Chewy Italian bread begins with a biga - yeast-based starter
Sunset , May, 1996 by Elaine Johnson
Email Print
Creating a yeast-based starter is the first step in making artisan-style bread at home
Full of holes inside, often misshapen outside - you have to know these Italian breads to love them. But rip off a chunk, savor the complex wheat flavor and chewy texture, and you know why the West's artisan bakeries have created a huge following for the loaves. Breads of this style may be called pane pugliese, pane francese, ciabatta, or other names, but they all have three things in common: a yeast-based starter called a biga, a very wet dough, and a slow rise.
A biga is just flour, water, and a tiny amount of yeast stirred together several hours or a day before baking and allowed to ferment. Unlike a sourdough starter, which is replenished and kept going indefinitely, a biga is made fresh each time you bake (you can make enough for a couple of loaves and freeze the extra to use within two weeks).
Though a biga doesn't create a sour taste, it provides other benefits like those from a sourdough starter: well-developed flavor, moist texture, and good keeping quality.
The wet dough used to make this bread is responsible for its large, irregular holes and wonderfully chewy texture. The dough is so sticky you can't knead it on a board - you must use a food processor or a heavy-duty mixer.
Slowing down the rising process helps develop the bread's complex flavor and aroma. Professional bakers put dough in temperature-controlled retarders. At home, you use ice water in the dough to keep it cool, and let the dough rise at room temperature rather than in the warm spot recommended in most bread recipes.
For a classic Italian-style bread, try the basic recipe on page 156. For a nontraditional (and delicious) variation, add olive oil, a generous amount of basil, and tangy feta cheese.
Glenn Mitchell, owner of Grace Baking in Albany, California, helped us translate the bread-making process from the professional bakery to the home kitchen.
Italian Biga Bread
Cooking time: About 30 minutes
Prep time: 15 to 25 minutes, plus about 8 1/2 hours for rising
Notes: This recipe is best suited for a lazy weekend, but you can gear it to a weekday schedule. The biga can be made ahead and chilled or frozen, and the kneaded dough can rest in the refrigerator up to 24 hours before its first rise.
You can double or triple the biga for later baking (the biga will rise on the shorter end of the noted time). A baking stone (sold with gourmet cookware) makes the thickest, crispest crust, but you can use a large baking sheet.
Makes: 1 loaf: 1 pound, 7 ounces
1/2 cup lukewarm water 1 1/4 teaspoons (about 1/2 package) active dry yeast About 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup ice-cold water 2 teaspoons salt
1. Biga. In a bowl, combine 1/4 cup lukewarm water and 1/4 teaspoon yeast. Let stand until yeast is dissolved, about 5 minutes. With your hands, mix in 3/4 cup flour until evenly moistened; dough will be stiff. Gather into a ball, put in a glass measuring cup, wrap airtight, and let stand at room temperature until biga is bubbly and has tripled in volume, 3 to 5 hours. Use as directed below. (If making ahead, stir down biga after it rises, then chill airtight up to 2 days - stirring down once a day - or freeze up to 2 weeks; thaw to use.)
2. Mixing dough. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup lukewarm water and 1 teaspoon yeast. Let stand until yeast is dissolved, about 5 minutes.
If using a food processor, whirl biga and 1/4 cup ice-cold water until smooth. Add yeast mixture, salt, and remaining 3/4 cup ice-cold water; pulse until blended. Add 2 3/4 cups flour; pulse until incorporated, then whirl until dough is very smooth and elastic, about 2 minutes. (If machine stops, wait a few minutes for motor to cool, then resume, or transfer to a bowl and beat by hand.) To test elasticity, stretch apart a 1-inch chunk of dough with your fingers, and hold it up to the light (see photo A); if it forms a thin sheet you can see through and doesn't shred apart, dough is ready. Dough will be very sticky.
If using a mixer with a dough hook, place biga in large bowl with 1/4 cup ice-cold water. Using paddle, mix on low speed until fairly smooth. Add yeast mixture, salt, and remaining 3/4 cup ice-cold water; mix until blended. Add 2 3/4 cups flour and beat on medium speed until well blended. Change to dough hook and beat on medium speed until very smooth and elastic, 12 to 14 minutes (see elasticity test above); dough will be very sticky.
3. First rise. Scrape dough into an oiled bowl (a 2-quart measuring cup is ideal). Wrap airtight and let stand at room temperature until tripled, about 3 hours. Or chill up to 24 hours, then let stand at room temperature until tripled, about 5 hours.
4. Shaping and final rise. Sprinkle a board with 3 tablespoons flour and scrape dough onto it. With floured hands, gently form a smooth log by first folding dough in half, then pinching a seam where halves join (photo B). Turn dough seam side down and gently pat into a 12- to 13-inch-long rectangle (photo C). Lightly sprinkle with flour. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let stand on board until puffy, about 30 minutes.
5. While dough rises, place a 14- by 16-inch baking stone or 14- by 17-inch baking sheet in oven and set at 425 . Let heat at least 30 minutes.
6. Sprinkle a 14- by 17-inch baking sheet or piece of stiff cardboard with 2 tablespoons flour. Ease hands under dough, pick up, and as you transfer it to floured sheet, gently stretch it to 17 inches long. Shake floured sheet to slide dough diagonally onto hot stone or baking sheet (photo D).
7. Baking. Bake bread until deep golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Let loaf cool on a rack. Serve, store in a paper bag up to 1 day, or freeze. If a crisper crust is desired, place bread directly on rack of a 425 oven for about 5 minutes.
Feta and Basil Biga Bread
Follow recipe for Italian Biga Bread (at left) through step 2. Once dough meets the elasticity test, mix in until evenly distributed (in a separate mixing bowl if using food processor) 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 3/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil or 1/4 cup dried basil, and 1/2 cup crumbled sheep's milk feta cheese. Continue with steps 3 through 7. Makes 1 loaf: 1 pound, 13 ounces.
Per ounce: 75 cal., 19% (14 cal.) from fat; 2.1 g protein; 1.6 g fat (0.5 g sat.); 13 g carbo.; 178 mg sodium; 2.1 mg chol.
|
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
