Italian Country Bread With Biga
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Italy
Known as an Italian recipe, with similar versions prepared across other nations.
Ingredients 13 ingredients
- Olive oil
- Baguette
- Cut
- Dough:
- Biga:
- 1 1/8 c Warm water
- 1 ts Yeast
- 1 1/2 ts Salt
- 1 1/4 c Bread flour
- 2 c Bread flour
- Biga (above )
- Punch
- 1/4 c Water
Contains
Gluten
Read from the ingredients, not verified. Check labels.
Cook safely
Keep children and pets away from the hob and the oven, and keep oven gloves and a lid within reach.
- Oven and hot trays. Use dry oven gloves for trays and dishes: a hot tray looks just like a cold one. Open the oven door away from your face and let the first rush of heat out.
- Sharp knives. Cut on a board that doesn't slip (a damp cloth under it helps), and curl the fingers of the hand that holds the food.
Method
Chef Wood
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- Biga is a starter, almost similar to sourdough but not quite.The bread has a flavorful, yeasty beery quality. So 10 to 12 hours before you want the bread, mix the 1 tsp. yeast in the water and let it bubble and foam. Mix in the flour gradually to make a soft almost soupy dough. Cover and it will rise and triple in volume and then fall back and re-rise during the 6 to 8 hours you let it be. Then make the bread. Stir the salt right into the biga mixture, mix in the additional water ( cold or cool not warm ) until it is a thin soupy quality. Mix in the flour to make a firm but soft dough which leaves the sides of the bowl. Turn out to a floured surface and knead dough, adding additional flour if necessary to make a smooth dry dough. Place dough in a bowl, greased with olive oil, cover and let rise doubled about 2 hours. Punch dough down and knead it into a flat oval. cut in half and form each half into a baguette and let them rest covered with a towel for 30 minutes. then stretch them into longer baguette shapes and place them in a baguette baking tray if you have it. Let rest for 20 minutes. then slash tops and place into a preheated 450 oven for 20 minutes or done. If you don't have a baguette tray any baking sheet or baking stone will do. You also could shape the breads in one large round loaf instead of 2 baguettes. Bake the one large loaf 10 to 15 minutes longer. Note: since this bread is fat free eat the same day or freeze as it stales quickly.
Plating
Cookware for this recipe
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Baking tray
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Mixing bowl
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Chef's knife
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Wooden spoon