A preferment, a bit of dough already mixed the day before, is an easy way to boost your favourite bread loaf, offering extra taste and longevity with minimal effort. This is an easy, beginner-friendly recipe including an overnight preferment that makes one truly delicious loaf of white bread.
This recipe is part of the Use Your Loaf series, where we learn together, step by step, how to improve our bread. Last time, I explored the what’s and why’s of preferments, and how we can adapt them to a basic bread recipe. Today is a quick post to share this delicious recipe with you, with two preferment options: a biga and a poolish.
In general terms, a biga is a stiff preferment used to add structure to higher-hydration loaves such as a ciabatta or focaccia. A poolish, on the other hand, is a looser mixture used to add softness to stiffer doughs. Either can be used depending on the baker’s choice and preference. I’m handing over the reins to you in this recipe. The choice is yours – play around, and see what you like!
Easy White Loaf with Biga
Equipment
- 1 Dutch Oven optional
- 1 Bench Scraper optional
- 1 Lame optional
Ingredients
Biga (prepared the night before)
- 100 g Strong White Bread Flour Typ 550
- 55 ml Water
- 0.1 g Yeast if your scale isn't accurate enough, a pinch of yeast will do.
Final Dough (mixed day of baking)
- 400 g Strong White Bread Flour Typ 550
- 280 ml Water
- 6.9 g Yeast
- 10 g Salt
Instructions
Biga
- Mix all ingredients in a jar or bowl and leave covered, at room temperature overnight or for 12-15 hours.
Final Dough
- The next day, mix together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Add the water and biga and mix until a rough dough is formed.
- Tip the shaggy dough out onto a work surface and start kneading for roughly 5 -10 minutes. The dough should be smooth and soft.
- Place in a lightly oiled bowl and rest for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- Tip out of bowl, shape into a round loaf, and place in a proofing basket or on a baking tray and cover. Alternatively, shape and place in a 2lb/900g loaf tin.
- Turn oven on to 220C fan and put dutch oven in to heat up if using.
- Rest dough for 45 minutes.
- Before baking, use a lame or scissors to make a cross in the middle of the loaf, or a long slit down one side.
- Place dough in dutch oven very carefully – this will be very, very hot! Bake for 20 minutes with the lid on, then remove lid wearing oven gloves and bake the loaf for a further 10- 15 minutes. If not using a dutch oven, bake for 30 minutes on a baking tray. The bread should look golden brown and should sound hollow underneath if tapped
Easy White Loaf with Poolish
Equipment
- 1 Dutch Oven optional
- 1 Bench Scraper optional
- 1 Lame optional
- 1 Proofing Basket/ Colander and Tea Towel optional
Ingredients
Poolish (prepared the night before)
- 100 g Strong White Bread Flour Typ 550
- 100 g Water
- 0.1 g Yeast if your scale isn't accurate enough, a pinch of yeast will do.
Final Dough (mixed day of baking)
- 400 g Strong White Bread Flour Typ 550
- 235 ml Water
- 6.9 g Yeast
- 10 g Salt
Instructions
Poolish
- Mix all ingredients in a jar or bowl and leave covered, at room temperature overnight or for 12-15 hours.
Final Dough
- The next day, mix together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Add the water and biga and mix until a rough dough is formed.
- Tip the shaggy dough out onto a work surface and start kneading for roughly 5 – 10 minutes. The dough should be smooth and soft.
- Place in a lightly oiled bowl and rest for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- Tip out of bowl, shape into a round loaf, and place in a proofing basket or on a baking tray and cover. Alternatively, shape and place in a 2lb/900g loaf tin.
- Turn oven on to 220C fan and put dutch oven in to heat up if using.
- Rest dough for 45 minutes.
- Before baking, use a lame or scissors to make a cross in the middle of the loaf, or a long slit down one side.
- Place dough in dutch oven very carefully – this will be very, very hot! Bake for 20 minutes with the lid on, then remove lid wearing oven gloves and bake the loaf for a further 10- 15 minutes. If not using a Dutch Oven, bake for 30 minutes on a baking tray. The bread should look golden brown and should sound hollow underneath if tapped
So there we go, two new ways to upgrade a basic bread loaf. Which way was your favourite? I personally love this loaf with the poolish, I feel like it gives a slightly chewy texture that’s perfect for an open sandwich. The biga on the other hand is nice and soft, great for a grilled cheese. Of course, they both taste great with a simple spread of butter too!
Next time we’ll be looking at increasing the hydration in our bread and the difference it can make. Don’t forget to catch up, on the whole Use Your Loaf series first, and if you’re getting a bit stuck on some terms or phrases, head on over to the Bread Baking Glossary for descriptions of everything.
