---
title: "Biga: what it means in cooking — Tiny Plates"
description: "A biga is a stiff Italian pre-ferment of flour, water and a pinch of yeast, left to ripen overnight. It gives bread a deeper flavor and an open crumb."
url: "https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/biga"
---

# Biga

A biga is a stiff Italian pre-ferment of flour, water and a pinch of yeast, left to ripen overnight. It gives bread a deeper flavor and an open crumb.

A biga is a firm dough of flour, water and a tiny amount of yeast that you mix the day before you bake. It ferments slowly for 12 to 16 hours, then goes into the main dough. Italian bakers use it for ciabatta, focaccia and many country loaves. It adds flavor and strength without the sourness of a sourdough.

## How to do it

1. Mix flour with 50 to 60 percent of its weight in water. For 500 g of flour, use 250 to 300 ml of water.
2. Add a very small amount of [yeast](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/yeast), about 1 percent of the flour weight or less. For 500 g of flour that is about 2 to 5 g fresh yeast or 1 to 2 g instant yeast.
3. Mix only until no dry flour is left. It will look rough and stiff. Do not knead it.
4. Cover and leave it at a cool room temperature, about 18°C (64°F), for 12 to 16 hours.
5. Tear it into pieces and mix it into the rest of the dough ingredients.

## How to tell it is done

A ripe biga has grown to two or three times its size. It smells sweet and a bit like beer or wine. When you pull it apart, it is full of small bubbles and stringy strands. If it has collapsed and smells sharp like vinegar, it has gone too far.

## Why it works

Slow fermentation gives the yeast and bacteria time to make flavor compounds. The low [hydration](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/hydration) keeps it firm and slows them down, which favors a mild, nutty taste over a sour one. The long rest also builds gluten strength, which helps the bread hold big holes in the [crumb](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/crumb).

## Common mistakes

* Using too much yeast. The biga ripens in a few hours and tastes flat.
* Leaving it somewhere warm. Above about 24°C (75°F) it can over-ferment overnight.
* Adding it as one solid lump. Tear it up so it mixes evenly.

## In recipes

A recipe may give the biga as a percentage of the total flour, often 30 to 100 percent. A wetter Italian pre-ferment is close to a [poolish](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/poolish), and some recipes use the word biga for both.

## Related terms

* [PoolishA poolish is a wet pre-ferment of equal weights flour and water with a little yeast, left overnight. It gives bread a mild, nutty flavor and a crisp crust.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/poolish)
* [Sourdough starterA sourdough starter is a fed mix of flour and water full of wild yeast and bacteria that leavens bread. Here is how to make, feed and store one.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/sourdough-starter)
* [HydrationHydration is the weight of water in a bread dough as a percent of the flour weight. Higher numbers mean a wetter dough and a more open crumb.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/hydration)
* [Bulk fermentationBulk fermentation is the first rise, when bread dough ferments in one mass before shaping. It builds flavor and strength. Here is how to judge it.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/bulk-fermentation)
* [CrumbThe crumb is the soft inside of a bread or cake, and its holes and texture tell you how it was mixed, proofed and baked. Here is how to read it.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/crumb)
* [YeastYeast is a living fungus that makes bread rise. Fresh, active dry and instant yeast explained, with conversions, temperatures and what goes wrong.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/yeast)

[More in baking and dough](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/category/baking-and-dough)[Every term from A to Z](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary)