Why Use a Preferment in Bread Baking?

A preferment, such as a sourdough starter or a poolish, is used in bread baking to enhance flavor, improve texture, and increase shelf life. It allows for longer fermentation, which develops complex flavors and breaks down gluten for a lighter, more digestible bread.

What is Poolish vs Biga For Sourdough?

In sourdough baking, poolish and biga are both types of preferments used to enhance flavor and texture. Poolish is a wetter preferment with equal parts flour and water, while biga is a stiffer preferment with less hydration. Both contribute to a more complex and flavorful sourdough bread.

Poolish vs Sourdough Starter - Important To Know

Ingredients

Scale

100 grams bread flour
100 grams water
25 grams mature sourdough starter (100% hydration)

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Instructions

In a clean mixing bowl, combine the bread flour, water, and mature sourdough starter. Mix well until all the ingredients are fully incorporated and form a thick, sticky batter.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let it sit at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours. This allows the poolish to ferment and develop flavor.
After the fermentation period, the poolish should appear bubbly and have a slightly tangy aroma. It should also have risen and expanded in volume.
At this point, the sourdough poolish is ready to be used in your bread recipe. You can proceed to incorporate it into your final dough according to the specific bread recipe you’re following.

Author: Natasha Krajnc