Email to Linda Leone      

Recipe Categories: Leone's HOME PAGEALCOHOL Allergiesanddietconcerns APPETIZERS BBQ-GRILL BEVERAGES BREAD BREADINGandBATTERS BREAKFAST BUTTERS CAKE CANDY CANNING CASSEROLES CHEESE CHINA CONDIMENTS CONFECTIONARY COOKIES CRACKERS CULTURESandFERMENTS DAIRY DANISH DESSERTS DIPS DRESSING DUMPLINGS ECONOMY EGGS ETHNIC EXTRACTS FATBLOCKERS FILLINGS FINLAND FIREPIT FISHandSHELLFISH FLOWERS FREEZING FROSTING-ICING FRUIT GAME GARNISHES GERMANandDUTCH GLUTENFREE GRAINS HEALTHYFOODTIPS HERBS HISPANIC ICECREAM INFORMATION ITALIAN JAMSandJELLIES KITCHEN-CRAFTS LEGUMES MAINDISH MARINADES MEATS MOUSSEsavory NATIVEAMERICAN NORWEGIAN NUTS OIL OLD-TIME-COOKERY PASTA PASTRIES PHILIPPINES PIE PLANTS-EDIBLE POULTRY PUTTING_BY REGIONALUSA RICE SALADandDRESSING SALADS SALTFREE SANDWICHES SAUCES SCANDINAVIAN SEASONING SIDEDISH SMOKER SNACKS SOUPSandSTEWS SOUTHERN-USA SPICE SPREADS STUFFINGandDRESSING SUBSTITUTES SUGARS SWEDISH SYRUPS TOPPINGS VEGETABLES VEGETARIAN VINAIGRETTE WRAPS

Yeast or Biga Starter




Source of Recipe


Internet and old friends


Recipe Introduction


Similar to a poolish or sourdough starter. Use leftover biga as the starter for the next batch, as you would sourdough starter or any of the yeasts such as potato yeast starter.


List of Ingredients




1 1/2 tsp yeast or any starter (sourdough)
1 T rye flour
3 T whole wheat flour
2 C unbleached hard wheat flour
1 C water

Recipe



Dough

3 cups hard wheat flour,
1 teaspoon yeast
1-1/3 cups water, room temperature
2 teaspoons salt

For the biga: Combine flour, yeast and water. Mix on lowest speed until it forms a rough dough, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer biga to a medium bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let stand at room temperature until beginning to bubble and rise, about 3 hours. Refrigerate for 8 to 24 hours (anything over that and the yeast runs out of food).

For the dough: Bring biga to room temperature while making the dough. Combine the flour, yeast and water in large bowl of mixer fitted with dough hook. Knead on lowest speed until a rough dough is formed, about 3 minutes. Turn mixer off and, without removing bowl or dough hook, cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes.

Remove the plastic wrap; add the biga and salt to the bowl. (The first time I made this, I accidentally added the salt to the dough with the flour, yeast and water above. It still worked. However, I was probably just lucky, because salt should never be added directly with the yeast.) Knead on lowest speed until ingredients are incorporated and the dough forms and leaves the sides of the bowl, about 4 minutes. Increase mixer speed to the next setting and knead until the dough forms a ball, about 1 minute. Transfer dough to a large bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise until slightly risen and puffy, about 1 hour.

Remove plastic wrap and turn the dough out. Gently lifting and folding one third of dough toward center. Do the same with the opposite side of dough. Then fold the dough in half, perpendicular to the first folds. Dough should be shaped into a rough square if folded correctly. Replace plastic wrap and let dough rise 1 more hour. Fold again as described above. Replace plastic wrap and let rise 1 more hour.

To shape the dough: Dust work surface liberally with flour. Gently scrape the dough out of the bowl and invert onto the work surface so that the side which was on the top is now on the bottom. Dust the dough and hands with flour. Using minimal pressure, push the dough into a rough 8 to 10 inch square. Fold the top left corner diagonally to the middle. Repeat with the top right corner. Gently roll the dough from the top peak to the bottom until it forms a rough log. Place the seam on the bottom and transfer to parchment paper. Start tucking the bottom edges underneath, working from the center to the ends, and gently stretch the dough until it is about a 16-inch long football-type shape. Dust top liberally with flour and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

To bake: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position. Place baking stone on rack and preheat oven to 500° F. Using a lame or a very sharp knife, cut a slit 1/2-inch deep lengthwise into the center top of the dough, starting and ending 1-1/2 inches from the ends. Using a spray bottle, spray the loaf lightly with water. Slide the parchment paper with the loaf onto a baker's peel or other large, flat surface, then onto the hot baking stone in oven. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 400° and, using the edges of the parchment paper, quickly rotate the loaf 180°. Continue to bake until a deep golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 210°, about 35 minutes longer. (It will look like the bread will get too dark, but it will not.) Transfer to a cooling rack and remove the parchment paper. Cool to room temperature before slicing.