Fermentation is a natural process that occurs in a lot of things in the kitchen. When you ferment your dough, flavor profiles become more noticeable and your body assimilates bread in a better way.
Pre-fermentation for a pizza dough can be achieved in various ways. You can either use a pre-fermented natural "levain" as the rising agent in the recipe (Sourdough) or use a Biga. As explained in the book Elements of Pizza by Ken Forkish, Biga is "just flour, water, and a tiny bit of yeast mixed and left to rise, usually overnight". This simple mixture will create a fluffy, flavorful, and strong dough that will make it to your "best of the best" recipe book.
Keep in mind that this recipe will need to be planned 2 days before the day of the cooking.
What I usually do is prepare my biga on Thursday morning before work and cook pizzas on Saturday. This 2 days method is different from the one Ken Forkish recommends but I prefer to keep all the biga fermentation in a controlled temperature environment.
Flour is key when making biga. You can mix a higher protein flour that will handle well the long period of pre-fermentation and later use a lower protein bread flour on the final mix.
Full recipe ingredients: (Makes about 5 to 6 - 250 grams dough balls)
Flour: 600 grams (100% Bakers Percentage)
Water: 410 grams (68% Bakers Percentage)
Dry Yeast: 2.2 grams (0.3% Bakers Percentage)
Salt: 18 grams (3% Bakers Percentage)
Olive Oil (optional): 18-20 grams (3.33% Bakers Percentage)
Ingredients for Biga:
Flour: 360 grams*
Water: 160 grams*
Dry Yeast: 2.2 grams
*Subtract this amount from the full ingredients.
The rest will be used in the refresh (the final mix)
Biga Recipe steps:
Fill a tall glass or plastic bowl with the amount of flour, water, and yeast provided for the biga.
Mix with a spoon or your hands until you have a scruffy looking dough and there is little loose flour at the bottom of the bowl. Avoid using a mixer in this step. You'll want a loose mixture, not a dough ball at this moment.
Cover well and let sit this mixture on a kitchen counter for one (1) hour to let the yeast wake up and the water incorporate into the flour.
Put the covered bowl in the refrigerator for 48 hrs.
After the 48 hours, break the biga into pieces and mix in the refresh water. Use the amount left from the ingredients listed above.
Mix and after a few minutes add in the flour slowly so it can be well incorporated.
Add the Salt and the Oil and mix well.
Knead the dough until you see it pushing back or when it reaches a temperature between 77-84 degrees.
Ball it up with the help of a scraper and transfer it to an oiled bowl.
Cover the bowl with a lid and let rest for 2 hrs. in a warm place of your kitchen.
After the proofing time transfer the dough to the counter, divide into 5 or 6 -250 gram- pieces and ball them up for a second proofing. Now, freeze the ones you're not going to use.
Transfer your dough balls into a container and let rest for 2-4 hrs before cooking them. To know they're ready try to mark the bowl when you place them inside and see if they've risen.
You're ready to make some pizzas now! Buon Appetito!
References:
The Elements of Pizza: Unlocking the Secrets to World-Class Pies at Home by Ken Forkish
Link to the book on amazon: https://amzn.to/3g7ELbt
Biga app that I use: Master Biga (Apple store)
My ingredients:
Pizzeria "00" Flour (Great for beginners): https://amzn.to/2ZXPKic
All Purpose/Bread Flour Dough Enhancer: https://amzn.to/3eWUs3T
My tools:
Digital Kitchen Scale: https://amzn.to/2OUbVQ0
Digital Kitchen Scale (For .1 gram):https://amzn.to/2OVzjMV
Stand Mixer Kitchen Aid Classic: https://amzn.to/3hBSJmn
Dough Bench Scraper: https://amzn.to/2ZW88rn
Infrared Laser gun: https://amzn.to/39ovlFO
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