"Bob Leonard, Jr." <bleonard@bobleonard.com> wrote:
>Is this the equivalent of the Italian "Biga"? It seems
>similar. The biga can be frozen to use later. Is this just
>to be used immediately? I have only used a biga once (with
>so-so results) and would like to know more about it if
>anyone has any info on that process.
Essentially the same process. The fairly liquid nature of
the batter permits a much more active yeast culture than
a stiffer dough made at the start. While it has different names
in different cultures and settings, the idea and process is the
same - give the yeast a running start. It can be used with
almost any bread from bagels on down the list.
>I would also ask if this could be used without an ABM but I
>will have found that out before you could reply. I intend
>to do just that today.
I've never used an ABM, so can't answer with certainty. I
would think you could certainly do the poolish in a separate
bowl, let it rise, and then add to the ABM with the rest of the
ingredients. Whether you can make the initial poolish in the
ABM itself would depend on the flexibility of the machine's
cycles.