Starter Recipes

Sourdough starter is a classic mixture of flour and water that has been left to ferment and develop naturally occurring yeasts and bacteria. It is used as a natural leavening agent for bread and other baked goods.

The process of creating a sourdough starter involves mixing flour and water together and allowing the mixture to sit at room temperature for several days. During this time, naturally occurring yeasts and bacteria in the environment will colonize the mixture and begin to break down the carbohydrates in the flour, producing carbon dioxide gas and lactic acid.

The lactic acid gives sourdough its distinctive sour flavor, while the carbon dioxide gas produced by the yeasts causes the dough to rise. Once a sourdough starter is established, it can be used to make bread indefinitely, as long as it is regularly fed with fresh flour and water to keep the yeasts and bacteria active and healthy.

These Starters can live for centuries and are frequently carried down through generations. In fact, recently scientists revived yeast microbes from 4,500 years ago to make a loaf of bread unlike anything on the grocery store shelves today, as part of an experiment to better understand the gut bacteria of ancient humans. See the article here

Click here to purchase my popular "Marmi" Sourdough Starter

Biga is a type of pre-fermentation used in Italian baking. Many popular Italian breads, including ciabatta, are made using a biga. Using a biga adds complexity to the bread's flavor and is often used in breads that need a light, open texture with holes. Apart from adding to flavor and texture, a biga also helps to preserve bread by making it less perishable.

Biga techniques were developed after the advent of baker's yeast as bakers in Italy moved away from the use of sourdough and needed to recover some of the flavor that was given up in this move. Bigas are usually dry and thick compared to a sourdough starter or Poolish. This thickness is believed to give a Biga its characteristic slightly nutty taste. Biga is usually made fresh every day, using a small amount of baker's yeast in a thick dough, which varies from 45 to 90% hydration as a baker's percentage, and is allowed to ferment from 12 to 16 hours to fully develop its flavor.

 "Biga unlike sourdough starter is typically made using yeast flour and water prior to baking a bread and is not continually fed to keep it alive like a sourdough starter".

Click here to make your own Biga

Polish is a pre-fermentation technique used in baking to improve the flavor, texture, and rise of bread. It is a type of wet sponge made by combining equal parts flour and water, along with a small amount of yeast, and letting the mixture ferment for several hours or overnight. Poolish tends to be firmer than Biga.

During the fermentation process, enzymes in the flour break down the starches into simple sugars, which are then consumed by the yeast to produce carbon dioxide gas. This gas helps to aerate the dough and give it a lighter, more airy texture. Additionally, the fermentation process develops complex flavors and aromas in the dough, resulting in a richer, more nuanced bread.

Poolish is commonly used in artisan bread baking, particularly for French-style breads like baguettes and ciabatta. It can also be used in other baked goods such as pizza dough, croissants, and rolls.

"Poolish like biga is typically made using yeast flour and water prior to baking a bread and is not continually fed to keep it alive like a sourdough starter".

Click here to make your own Poolish