Biga-preferment high-hydration focaccia
Biga Focaccia (Stiff Italian Preferment for Strength and Flavor)
A robust, chewy focaccia with a milky-wheaty aroma and a strong, well-structured open crumb — built on a biga, the stiff Italian preferment prized for backbone.
- Total
- 18.5 hr
- Hands-on
- 30 min
- Hydration
- 80%
- Skill
- advanced
By FocacciaRecipe editorial · Updated 2026-07-05 · In editorial development; independent bake-test pending
The short version
The night before, mix a stiff biga of 250 g flour, 113 g water (about 45% hydration) and 2.5 g yeast and ferment it cool (16–18°C) for 12–16 hours. The next day break it into 250 g flour, 287 g water, 10 g salt, 1 g yeast and olive oil for a 500 g flour, 80% hydration dough; ferment, pan, proof, dimple, and bake at 235°C/455°F for about 22 minutes.
Why this works
Fermenting a stiff dough slowly and cool favors strength-building and a cleaner, milkier flavor with less acidity, giving the final dough more structure to carry a high hydration. That extra backbone is what produces the tall, chewy, big-holed crumb characteristic of biga breads.
The schedule
~57m hands-on of 5.3h total · overnight
- Mix & fold · 57m
- Bulk ferment · 2.5h
- Proof · 1.3h
- Bake · 22m
- Cool · 15m
Terracotta is active work; olive is unattended rising; red is the bake.
Ingredients
Method
- 1
Mix the biga (evening)
Rub 250 g flour, 113 g water and 2.5 g yeast together into rough, shaggy lumps — it will not form a smooth dough. Ferment cool (16–18°C, a cellar or cool room) for 12–16 hours.
Look for: Ready when it has expanded, is webbed with bubbles inside when torn, and smells nutty and lightly boozy but not sharply sour.
Avoid: Keep the biga cool — a warm room ferments it too fast and turns it acidic.
- 2
Break down the biga
Add most of the 287 g water to the biga and squeeze until it dissolves into a slurry, then mix in the remaining flour, 1 g yeast and 15 g oil to a shaggy dough. Rest 20 minutes and work in the salt.
Look for: Lumpy at first, then coming together thick and elastic as the biga disperses.
- 3
Bulk ferment with folds
Give 3 sets of stretch-and-folds over the first hour — the strong dough takes folds well — then let it rise until airy.
Look for: It tightens noticeably and feels stronger and more elastic than a poolish dough; risen by about half again.
- 4
Pan and proof
Oil the 30×40 cm pan, stretch the dough to the edges, and proof until puffy.
Look for: A fingertip dent fills back slowly; the strong dough holds its shape well.
- 5
Dimple and bake
Drizzle oil, dimple deeply, scatter flaky salt, and bake at 235°C/455°F until deep gold and blistered.
Look for: Big, irregular open holes and a chewy pull; the base is crisp and firm.
- 6
Cool
Cool on a rack at least 15 minutes.
Look for: The crumb sets firm and chewy.
What good looks like
- Crumb: Open, chewy and well-structured with large irregular holes.
- Crust: Crisp fried base; sturdy, crackly top.
- Height: Tall and strong, about 3–4 cm.
- Color: Deep, even gold.
If something went wrong
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Biga went sour and slack | Fermented too warm | Keep it at 16–18°C; a wine fridge or cool cellar is ideal. |
| Lumps of undissolved biga in the dough | Not broken down enough | Squeeze the biga into the water until slurried before adding the rest of the flour. |
| Tight, bready crumb | Under-fermented final dough | Let the bulk and proof run until genuinely airy despite the strong dough. |
Storing & reheating
Storage: Best the day it is baked; the sturdier crumb keeps wrapped at room temperature up to 3 days.
Freezing: Freeze cooled squares up to 1 month.
Reheating: Refresh in a 200°C/400°F oven 5 minutes.
Contains wheat/gluten.
Tools & ingredients for this focaccia
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Core pantry
- Bread flour (opens Amazon) ↗ — High-protein bread flour or Italian “00” both work.
- Instant yeast (opens Amazon) ↗ — Instant (or active dry) yeast keeps for months.
- Fine sea salt (opens Amazon) ↗ — Fine sea salt for the dough.
- Extra-virgin olive oil (opens Amazon) ↗ — Use a good EVOO you like the taste of.
- Flaky finishing salt (opens Amazon) ↗ — For the crunchy finish.
You don’t need to buy everything here — many items are already in most kitchens. Fresh produce, cheese and herbs are best bought local and in season.
Frequently asked
- How is a biga different from a poolish?
- A biga is stiff (roughly 45% hydration) and fermented cool for strength and a milkier flavor; a poolish is a wet, equal-parts preferment that gives more extensibility and sweetness.
- My kitchen is warm — can I still make a biga?
- Use cooler water and ferment it in the coolest spot you have, and check it earlier; warmth makes it acidic and slack.
Keep baking
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Source: https://www.focacciarecipe.com/recipes/biga-focaccia · © 2026 FocacciaRecipe.com
In editorial development — this recipe has not yet completed physical bake-testing.