Biga: what it is and how to make it

A biga is a dough made ahead with part of the flour, little water and a pinch of yeast. It matures for many hours, usually 16 to 24 at around 18 °C, then goes into the final dough with the rest of the flour, the water and the salt. It's drier than a poolish: it looks like loose, shaggy lumps, not a smooth paste.

The amounts

For four 250 g balls at 70% hydration: 579 g of flour in all. The biga percentage is the share of that flour that goes into the biga. The biga has 45% water and 1% fresh yeast on its own flour.

How to make it

1. Dissolve the yeast in the biga water, at room temperature or cool.
2. Add the flour and mix for a few minutes, just until the water is absorbed. It shouldn't turn smooth: leave it in rough lumps.
3. Cover and let it mature for 16–24 hours at around 18 °C. It's ready when it smells good, slightly tangy, and has grown.
4. In the final dough, break the biga up and work it with the water, then the remaining flour and, last, the salt.

How much biga to use

• 20 to 30%: more aroma without changing how you work much. A good start.
• Around 50%: a stronger aroma and a lighter dough, but you need stronger flour.
• 100%: all the flour goes through the biga. The final dough is just biga, water and salt: the most flavour, but the biga needs careful handling.

The night-time problem

With 18–24 hours of maturation, the biga often ends up needing to be made in the middle of the night. MasterPIZZA's guide spots it: if you'd have to make it between 23:30 and 7:00, it changes the maturation hours (always between 16 and 24) and alerts you at the right time.

Let MasterPIZZA do the maths

Pick your dough balls, hours and temperature: the app gives you the amounts to the gram and guides you step by step, with alerts. Free for Android.

Get it on Google Play ↗

More guides

• How much yeast for pizza dough
• Pizza dough hydration