Once you’ve opened the door to making your own dough, you’ll likely find you want to learn how to add complexity of flavor and texture. Let’s explore two classic pizza starters: Biga vs Poolish Pizza!
If you’re making pizza from scratch, you’ve probably learned how different recipes can have profound effects on your crust. Using a starter for your pizza can give it extra depth and complexity of flavor, rich texture, accelerated fermentation (which means faster proofing time), and even some digestive benefits.
Two Classic Starters: Biga vs Poolish Pizza
In bread (and therefore pizza-making), a starter (or pre-ferment) is a preparation of water, flour, and yeast. The idea is to kick-start fermentation before mixing the final dough. This enhances flavor, texture, and overall dough structure. While there are various types of pre-ferments, two of the most popular in the world of pizza are Biga and Poolish.
Both of these starters combine three of the main ingredients of dough: flour, water, and yeast, but differ in their ratios and therefore consistency.
Biga Pizza Dough
Biga is a bread starter that originated in Italy, predominantly for making Ciabatta and other Italian breads. The word ‘biga’ originated from the Latin term ‘bica,’ which means ‘a mixture for bread.’ The use of biga is noted for its contribution to the bread’s distinct crust and inner texture.
Biga differs from Poolish in its hydration level. Whereas Poolish is 1 part water to 1 part flour, biga has a lower hydration level – usually 50% to 65% (again, by weight). The biga’s lower hydration level results in a thicker, stiffer starter that requires longer fermentation – typically at least 12 hours room temperature, but often as long as two days. This is because the lower water content slows down the fermentation process – which results in the biga developing a complex flavor with a subtle sourness and contribute to a chewier texture in the final product.
If your goal is to make something akin to a sourdough but without going through the process of making an actual sourdough, Biga Pizza Starters are the next best thing.
How to Make Biga For Pizza Dough
Ingredients:
- 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 20 grams (1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon) warm water (no higher than 110°F)
- 30 grams (1/4 cup) all-purpose flour
Procedure:
- Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let it sit for about 5 minutes, until frothy. This activates the yeast and ensures it’s alive and active.
- After the yeast is activated, add the flour to the mixture and stir with a butter knife well until all the flour is wet and the mixture forms a thick, sticky batter.
- Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let the biga ferment at room temperature for at least 12 and up to 24 hours. Some bakers may let a biga ferment for up to 48 hours. The longer fermentation period will produce a more complex flavor but keep in mind that the longer fermentation time will affect the workability of the dough.
After the fermentation process, your Biga starter is ready to be used in your pizza dough recipe.
Poolish for Pizza Dough
Poolish, despite its French-sounding name, traces its roots back to Poland. However, it was later popularized by French bakers and is an essential component in making French bread, particularly the world-renowned Baguette. The term ‘poolish’ is a nod to its Polish origins.
Poolish has a high water content (1:1 ratio), resulting in a batter-like consistency. The 100% hydration facilitates quicker fermentation, usually taking around 3-5 hours. This expedited process results in a sweet, nutty flavor and contributes to a lighter, more open crumb structure in the finished crust.
How to Make Poolish For Pizza Dough
Ingredients:
- 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 57 grams (1/4 cup) warm water (no higher than 110°F)
- 57 grams (1/2 cup) Type 00-Pizza flour
Procedure:
- Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let it sit for about 5 minutes, until frothy. This activates the yeast and ensures it’s alive and active.
- After the yeast is activated, add the flour to the mixture and stir with a butter knife well until all the flour is wet and the mixture forms a thick, sticky batter.
- Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let the poolish ferment at room temperature for at least 3 and up to 24 hours. The longer fermentation period will produce a more complex flavor but keep in mind that the longer fermentation time will affect the workability of the dough.
After the fermentation process, your Poolish starter is ready to be used in your pizza dough recipe.
Starter Ratios in Your Pizza Dough
Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN) Neapolitan dough allows for up to 20% of the dough recipe to be made with a “mother dough”, which really could be any of these (Biga is of course the more traditional choice, being Italian, but Poolish is probably more popular because it is easier to work with and seems to contribute best to the dough’s stretchiness).
You will probably find it easier to work with a lower ratio of starter (like 1 part in 5 or 20%) because it won’t significantly change the flour/water ratio of the overall recipe (but even then you still will likely need to add a bit of extra flour).
You can certainly use higher ratios (as high as 50%, especially if you’re trying to get that sourdough flavor to come through) but you’ll almost certainly be changing the pizza dough‘s hydration level – that will likely mean you’re going to add more flour than the recipe calls for.
If you have leftovers of your Poolish or Biga, you can use the remainder to start your next batch of starter, much like a sourdough starter.
Comparison: Biga vs Poolish Pizza
Differences in Flavor
Both Biga and Poolish contribute to the development of flavor in the final dough, but in different ways.
- Biga: The slow fermentation results in a more complex, nuttier flavor with slight acidity.
- Poolish: The wetter, faster ferment produces a sweeter, more delicate flavor, often with a hint of yeastiness.
Impact on Dough Handling
The characteristics of Biga and Poolish also influence how the dough behaves during the pizza-making process.
- Biga: The stiffer nature makes it less sticky and easier to shape, ideal for pizzas requiring a denser crust.
- Poolish: The wetter, softer dough can be more challenging to handle but results in a lighter, airier crust.
Versatility
Both Biga and Poolish can be adapted to suit a range of pizza styles, from Neapolitan to New York, but they lend themselves better to different preparations:
- Biga: Ideal for thicker, chewier crusts, such as Sicilian or Roman-style pizzas.
- Poolish: Best for thinner, crispier crusts, like Neapolitan or New York-style pizzas.
Practical Tips for Pizzaiolos
- Time Management: Biga benefits from a longer fermentation period, often up to 48 hours, while Poolish can be ready in as little as 3 hours, but is generally best closer to 8 (and even up to 24). However if you over-ferment, the dough can become acidic and/or difficult to work with.
- Temperature: The temperature that you pre-ferment your starter (and later your pizza) has a significant impact on how long until your starter has done its work.
- Experiment: Once you have a good handle on these starters, feel free to adjust the ratios, the temperatures, and the fermentation time to match your ideal pizza! They are very similar, so you’re not going too far afield.
- Water: Tap water is generally fine for either of these unless your water is very hard or very soft. In that case, use bottled drinking water, which will have trace minerals added for flavor.
Conclusion: Choosing Biga vs Poolish Pizza
Choosing between Biga and Poolish comes down to personal preference and what you seek in a pizza crust. If you need a pizza with a chewier, robust crust with nutty undertones (such as a Sicilian Pizza), go for Biga. If you are making a pizza with a lighter, airier crust with a delicate flavor (such as Neapolitan), Poolish is your go-to. Either way, the use of a pre-ferment will elevate your pizza to professional levels, providing flavors and textures that are complex and satisfying.
Recipes For Biga Pizza and Poolish Pizza
Below are recipes for using a Biga to start a Sicilian pizza and a Poolish to start a Neapolitan pizza! Happy baking!
Sicilian Biga Grandma Pizza Recipe
Equipment
- 2 Baking Pans (Cookie Sheet)
- 1 Pizza Scissors (Optional)
Ingredients
- 2 ounces water warm – no higher than 110°F (filtered/bottled preferred). This is for the Biga starter
- 3 ounces high-protein flour (high gluten). This is for the Biga starter.
- 1 pinch dry active yeast This is for the Biga starter.
- 3 cups high-protein flour (high gluten)
- ⅓ cups water warm – no higher than 110°F (filtered/bottled preferred)
- ¾ cup water ice water (filtered/bottled preferred)
- ½ tablespoon dry active yeast
- 2 teaspoons salt fine
- 1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided into 3x 1/2 tablespoons
Grandma Pizza Toppings
- 1 cup tomato sauce crushed or pureed. Savory cherry tomatoes preferred.
- 2 cups provolone cheese grated (caciocavallo or toma is more traditional)
- 1 teaspoon oregano dried
- ¼ cup basil leaves fresh, chopped (or 2 teaspoons of dried)
Instructions
Day 1: Make Your Biga
- Add a pinch of yeast to 2 ounces (1/4 cup) of warm water in a small bowl or mason jar. Whisk and let stand for 5 minutes to ensure the yeast is active and alive.
- Add the yeast. Stir with a knife or flat spatula. The starter will be quite sticky, so scrape the blade on the edge.
- Cover and store the Biga for at least 12 hours at room temperature or up to 24 hours. If storing longer, refrigerate after 12 hours at room temperature.
Day 2: Starting the Dough
- Put a small dish of water near your work area to wet your hands as needed.
- In a stand mixer bowl, put in the warm water and add the yeast and whisk. Allow to mix for 5 minutes so that foam appears.
- Add the Biga to the mixing bowl.
- Add 1/2 cup of flour and mix in the stand mixer at its slowest setting.
- Add the cold water and continue to mix.
- Slowly add the rest of the flour. The dough will still be very sticky and will not look very smooth yet.
- Wet your hands and pull the dough off of the hook
- Add the salt and continue to mix for another 1 minute
- Add 1 teaspoons of olive oil and continue to mix. You may need to stop the mixer and pull the dough from the hook occasionally to ensure the dough is mixing well.
- Use a brush to coat a baking pan with 1 teaspoon of oil.
- Wet your hands and transfer the dough to the baking pan.
- Re-wet your hands.
- Stretch the dough by pulling it left and right, then fold the stretched parts on top.
- Turn the pan a quarter turn and repeat. It will look like an envelope.
- Fold the corners into the center and pinch together.
- Turn over the dough using your wet hands and smooth the edges.
- Cover the pan in plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
- Place the covered pan in the refrigerator for 24 hours (up to 48 hours).
Day 3: Finishing the Dough and Making the Pizza
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow it to warm up for 1 to 2 hours on the countertop.
- Use a brush to oil a second baking sheet with another 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Invert the first pan and allow the dough to fall from the first pan onto the second. The dough will still be very sticky, so use a wetted spatula or dough scraper if it does not completely come away by itself.
- Flip the dough over so both sides are oiled.
First Stretch
- Gently using the fingers of both hands, press the dough outward (not pulling) to stretch the dough towards the edges of the baking sheet. The dough won’t likely get all the way to the edges this first time. Don’t tear the dough trying to get to the edges, but try to get it about the right shape of the pan.
- Let the dough rest uncovered in a warm space away from any draft for 30 minutes. The dough will contract but it will also start expanding.
Second Stretch
- Oil your fingers and gently “pillow” (press like you’re playing the piano) the dough to cover the entire pan. Try to preserve the airy texture but also trying to get the dough evenly distributed across the pan. It will still likely not reach the corners completely.
- Let the dough rest uncovered again in a warm space, away from any draft for 90 minutes. The dough should rise to the edge of the pan and fill it entirely now. Even if it doesn’t, do not stretch or press the dough again.
Cooking the Pizza
- Preheat your oven to 450°F. If you have a pizza stone big enough, you can cook the pizza in the pan on top of the pizza stone.
- Add your sauce, toppings (except the basil), then cheese.
- Bake in the oven for 7 minutes, then rotate the pan.
- Bake for another 7 minutes until the top of the crust is golden and the cheese is browning.
- Remove the pan and let stand for 5 minutes.
- Use a spatula to transfer the pizza to a cutting board.
- Add the basil.
- Sicilian pizza is generally cut “tavern style”, meaning into squares or rectangles.
Notes
Nutrition
Neapolitan Poolish Pizza Dough Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Stand Mixer (Optional)
- 1 Wood-burning pizza oven AVPN says this is required, but use what you've got!
- 1 Pizza Cutter
Ingredients
- ½ Tsp Yeast Active, dry yeast
- 2 Ounces Water (1/4 cup) Tap is fine unless it is very hard or very soft, in which case use bottled.
- 2 Ounces 00 Pizza Flour (Approximately 1/2 cup) This is for your Poolish.
- 6 Ounces Water Tap is fine unless it is very hard or very soft, in which case use bottled.
- 1 ½ Tsp Sea salt
- 2 Cups 00 Pizza Flour
- 2 Tbsp Semolina flour (if you don't have semolina, any flour will do, including 00 or all-purpose)
Instructions
Making the Poolish Starter
- In a Mason jar or small bowl, add your yeast to the water and whisk. Wait 5 minutes to ensure the yeast is bubbling slightly so that you know it is active.
- Add the flour and stir with a knife until it has a batter-like consistency. Scrape the knife clean on the side of the jar/bowl and cover. Leave at room temperature for 3 hours.
- After 3 hours, the Poolish should have bubbles formed from the fermentation process. You can make your pizza now or within the next 3-5 hours. If you are going to wait longer (up to 24 hours), refrigerate the Poolish.
Making the Pizza Dough
- Pour the water into the mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Pour the salt into the water and whisk (or stir) until the salt is dissolved.Using a wet spatula, add your Poolish starter.Add about 1/2 cup of flour into the water.
- Start your stand mixer using the hook attachment on its slowest setting.
- Slowly add more flour. Not all flour hydrates the same, so it may be that you'll need a little less or a little more flour.
- If you don't have a stand mixer, you can do this all by hand. Just make a "volcano" of all of the flour and pour the water into the middle. Slowly move and mix the "volcano" walls into the water.
Checking the Dough
- The dough will form into a single compact ball.· When this happens, stop the mixer and check the texture. · Dust your hands with flour and pull the dough off of the hook. · Knead the dough in your hands. · The texture and moistness should be consistent throughout. If it is not, return it to the mixer and check again. · The dough should be slightly tacky and smooth but should not be leaving much sticking to your hands. If it is, return it to the mixer and continue adding flour – slowly. · The final dough ball should be "fat" in appearance and sticky, soft, elastic, and smooth to the touch.
First Fermentation
- Place the dough on a clean surface and cover with a damp cloth for one hour. The damp cloth is important to keep the outer surface from drying out.
Second Fermentation
- Remove the damp cloth and separate the dough into two balls of equal size (this recipe will make two dough balls approximately 9.5 to 9.9 ounces – which is right at the upper size limit).
- Work the two halves into balls (the traditional technique is to shape them the same way Italians prepare fresh mozzarella balls).
- Place the two balls into one or two sealed containers – the dough balls will double in size, so make sure they have enough room.
- Let the dough rest for 24 hours at room temperature.
Stretching the Dough
- After the second fermentation, the dough will have become extensible (meaning you can stretch it) but not very elastic.
- Put 1 tablespoon of semolina flour on your work surface
- Remove one dough ball from its container onto the floured work surface.
- Stretch the dough by hand from the center to the edge. Create a round shape but ensure that the edge of the crust is about 0.5" tall and 0.5" to 1" wide and the rest of the crust is very thin (less than two pennies, if you can).(If needed, add more flour to the work surface so the pizza does not stick, but do not use more than you need)
- With this recipe (which makes two ~9.5 ounce pizza dough balls), you should be able to make up to a 12" pizza.
- Put 1 tablespoon of semolina flour and a pinch of cornmeal on your pizza peel (so the dough will not stick when launched into the oven).
- Transfer your dough to the pizza peel.
- You will want to quickly apply your toppings and get the pizza into the oven before the dough sticks to the peel.
- Launch the pizza into the oven on the hottest part of the stone without being in the flames.
- Before rotating the pizza, make sure that Rotate the pizza one quarter turn every 45 seconds. Generally, the pizza will be done in 6 minutes or less. So watch it closely!
- Remove the pizza from the oven and let it rest for about 3 minutes.
- Cut and serve immediately.
Notes
- If you are going to cook this in a conventional oven, you’ll want the highest temperature you can get the oven to.
- If you have a pizza stone (or pizza steel), that’s going to help a lot in getting the most authentic crust. If not, a pizza pan (or cookie sheet) will still turn out a great pizza.
- You can either start the pizza on a pan (or cookie sheet) and transfer it to the stone after about 10 minutes (when the crust is firm enough to be safely transferred). At this point, turn off the oven and let the pizza cook on the stone for another 5 minutes. Remove and let rest on a cutting board for another 5 minutes before cutting and serving.
- Alternatively, you can start by launching the pizza directly to the pizza stone in your oven. This is more tricky and you might want to practice with some dough with no toppings!
Nutrition
Todd’s cooking skills have revolved around the grill since about age 12, when he developed a love for grilling and took over for Mom at the BBQ. He worked at Wendy’s and at Earl’s Tin Palace (a restaurant chain in Canada) but never really did any sort of baking…until he and Heather started making pizza together! Now he’s often making dough in the mornings and pizza in the evenings.