English Muffins
Poolish (also called starter or pre-ferment):
Method
Biga and Poolish
https://www.weekendbakery.com/posts/more-artisan-bread-baking-tips-poolish-biga/
WHAT IS IT?
There are several traditional methods for creating starters for breads. All of these starters are easy to prepare.
A starter usually consists of a simple mixture of wheat flour, water, and a leavening agent (typically yeast or a sourdough culture). After mixing it is allowed to ferment for a period of time, and then is added to bread dough as a substitute for, or in addition to more yeast. So pre-ferments are critical for best tasting bread – You can call it a starter, biga, poolish, preferment, or sponge – they all do sort of the same job and only really differ by water content.
Biga and poolish are terms for pre-ferments used in Italian and French baking, respectively, for sponges made with domestic baker’s yeast. Poolish is a fairly wet sponge (typically made with a one-part-flour-to-one-part-water ratio by weight), while biga is usually drier. Bigas can be held longer at their peak than wetter sponges, while a poolish is one known technique to increase a dough’s extensibility.
WHY USE IT?
The primary difference between making bread with a starter and making bread with the direct or straight yeast method is that starter breads require much more time to prepare, but the flavor and texture of the bread is almost impossible to achieve with other leavening methods. Bread made with starters like poolish and biga also tends to keep better, compared to bread made from straight doughs.
POOLISH & BIGA TIPS
Poolish (also called starter or pre-ferment):
- Bread Flour (or all purpose): 4.5 oz
- Water (cold): 4.5 oz
- Yeast, dry: 1/8 tsp
- All purpose or Bread Flour: 13.5 oz
- Kosher Salt: .36 oz (3 1/2 tsp) a little less if using regular table salt
- Sugar: 1 tsp
- Butter: 1 oz
- Yeast, dry: ½ tsp
- Water (78 degrees): 8 oz
- Starter/Poolish: 9 oz
Method
- Mix starter/poolish 1-8 hours in advance: mix yeast and flour and then mix in water; leave at room temp for one-two hours and then refrigerate.
- Weigh out ingredients for dough
- Break up butter in flour then add remaining dry ingredients; add warm water to poolish to break it up; in mixer mix with dry ingredients just until combined.
- Rest (Autolyse) for 10 minutes
- In mixer on low or on table knead for 10-15 minutes until smooth and elastic; cover or put in oiled bag.
- Leave at room temp 45 minutes, fold and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
- Bring to room temperature.
- Shape: roll to ½ “ thick and cut with 3” or 4” diameter cutter
- Final rise: 20 minutes on boards or pan with semolina flour mixture
- Cook on greased flat grill top or cast iron pans until brown on both sides.
- Put in 450 degree preheated oven and bake 5 minutes.
Biga and Poolish
https://www.weekendbakery.com/posts/more-artisan-bread-baking-tips-poolish-biga/
WHAT IS IT?
There are several traditional methods for creating starters for breads. All of these starters are easy to prepare.
A starter usually consists of a simple mixture of wheat flour, water, and a leavening agent (typically yeast or a sourdough culture). After mixing it is allowed to ferment for a period of time, and then is added to bread dough as a substitute for, or in addition to more yeast. So pre-ferments are critical for best tasting bread – You can call it a starter, biga, poolish, preferment, or sponge – they all do sort of the same job and only really differ by water content.
Biga and poolish are terms for pre-ferments used in Italian and French baking, respectively, for sponges made with domestic baker’s yeast. Poolish is a fairly wet sponge (typically made with a one-part-flour-to-one-part-water ratio by weight), while biga is usually drier. Bigas can be held longer at their peak than wetter sponges, while a poolish is one known technique to increase a dough’s extensibility.
WHY USE IT?
The primary difference between making bread with a starter and making bread with the direct or straight yeast method is that starter breads require much more time to prepare, but the flavor and texture of the bread is almost impossible to achieve with other leavening methods. Bread made with starters like poolish and biga also tends to keep better, compared to bread made from straight doughs.
POOLISH & BIGA TIPS
- If you are working with pre-fermented doughs like poolish or biga make sure not to ‘over ripe’ your pre-ferment. This is especially true when using larger percentages of preferment in your final dough (think up to 50%) because over riping will kill the gluten in your preferment (the yeast will eat them all) and you will end up with a weaker and hard to handle dough.
- The higher the percentage of pre-ferment you use the more your bread crumb will have a nice chewy texture (but it stops at around 50%). We like our bread that way, it gives you something to chew on. The sugars that are released from the flour in the pre-ferment also add a nice golden colour to your bread.
- Yes you can make the same bread recipe using a biga or a poolish, you just need to make sure you adjust the water content.
- You can make a poolish or biga from another type of flour than the one you are using for the actual bread. For example, we use spelt, rye or whole wheat flour to add extra (and different) flavours to our bread.