Italian bakers invented biga—a stiff 1% yeast starter fermented 16 hours—because Naples' humid air made regular dough collapse by morning.
Pizza with Biga
Experience pizza like never before with our mouthwatering recipe featuring biga as a flavorful starter! This unique technique enhances the dough's texture, resulting in a light and airy crust that's perfect for holding your favorite toppings. Dive into a slice of heaven topped with zesty tomato sauce, gooey mozzarella, and fresh basil—your taste buds will thank you!
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
4
people
Level
intermediate
The Story
Biga itself is a proper Milanese trick from the early 1900s, when bakers in Lombardy figured out that a slow, barely-yeasted starter made better bread than chucking everything in at once—and when Naples got hold of the technique decades later, they bolted it onto pizza dough, creating this slow-fermented hybrid that owes its soul to northern Italian bread science and its soul-mate, southern pizza culture.
Regional Twist
Down in Naples itself, bakers swap a portion of that 700 grams of strong flour for Tipo 00, chasing a softer, more extensible dough that blisters properly in a blazing hot wood oven rather than the gentler home-oven results this recipe's biga was built for.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(2)
- 150 grams of water (5.29 oz)
- 500 grams of cold water (17.6 oz)
🫙Pantry Staples(3)
- 300 grams of strong flour (2.4 cup)
- 700 grams of strong flour (5.6 cup)
- 0.5 grams of dry yeast (0.02 oz)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(1)
- 25 grams of salt (0.88 oz)
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
891
Protein
30g
Carbs
180g
Fat
3g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Dissolve 0.5 grams of dry yeast in 150 grams of water.
- 2
Add 300 grams of strong flour and mix well.
- 3
Clean the lid and let it rest in the fridge for 24 hours.
- 4
After 24 hours, combine all the biga, 0.5 grams of dry yeast, and 500 grams of cold water.
- 5
Dissolve the biga as best as possible, then add 700 grams of strong flour and 25 grams of salt.
- 6
Mix everything well and knead for 10 to 12 minutes.
- 7
Let it ferment in the fridge for 24 hours.
- 8
After 24 hours, divide the dough into about 6 balls and let them double in size at room temperature before making pizzas.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Dissolve the biga in cold water for 2-3 minutes before adding flour because the hydrated biga's gluten network breaks down and distributes fermentation byproducts (organic acids, enzymes) evenly, improving flavor development by 30-40%.technique2-3 minutes dissolution time
- ✓Add salt after the biga is fully incorporated and flour is mixed because salt added to wet biga can denature proteins prematurely; adding it to the dry flour-biga mixture allows controlled hydration and optimal gluten cross-linking.techniquePost-flour incorporation timing
- ✓Target dough temperature of 75-78°F after kneading by using water at 50-55°F, since your room-temperature biga (68°F) + flour (68°F) + kneading friction (2-3°F rise) requires cold water to prevent over-fermentation during the 24-hour cold bulk.ingredient75-78°F dough temp | 50-55°F water
- ✓Knead for exactly 10-12 minutes because at this duration with 0.5g yeast in 1.2kg dough (0.042% inoculation), the gluten develops sufficient elasticity to trap gas during cold fermentation without over-developing and tightening the dough.timing10-12 minutes | 0.042% inoculation rate
- ✓After 24-hour fridge fermentation, ball the dough at 50°F directly from cold storage, then let it reach room temperature (68-72°F) for 3-4 hours before stretching because gradual warming allows gluten to relax and prevents degassing; dough will gain 40-50% volume during this phase.timing3-4 hours at 68-72°F | 40-50% volume gain
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
4
people
Level
intermediate
Share this recipe
Italian bakers invented biga—a stiff 1% yeast starter fermented 16 hours—because Naples' humid air made regular dough collapse by morning.
Pizza with Biga
Experience pizza like never before with our mouthwatering recipe featuring biga as a flavorful starter! This unique technique enhances the dough's texture, resulting in a light and airy crust that's perfect for holding your favorite toppings. Dive into a slice of heaven topped with zesty tomato sauce, gooey mozzarella, and fresh basil—your taste buds will thank you!
The Story
Biga itself is a proper Milanese trick from the early 1900s, when bakers in Lombardy figured out that a slow, barely-yeasted starter made better bread than chucking everything in at once—and when Naples got hold of the technique decades later, they bolted it onto pizza dough, creating this slow-fermented hybrid that owes its soul to northern Italian bread science and its soul-mate, southern pizza culture.
Regional Twist
Down in Naples itself, bakers swap a portion of that 700 grams of strong flour for Tipo 00, chasing a softer, more extensible dough that blisters properly in a blazing hot wood oven rather than the gentler home-oven results this recipe's biga was built for.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(2)
- 150 grams of water (5.29 oz)
- 500 grams of cold water (17.6 oz)
🫙Pantry Staples(3)
- 300 grams of strong flour (2.4 cup)
- 700 grams of strong flour (5.6 cup)
- 0.5 grams of dry yeast (0.02 oz)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(1)
- 25 grams of salt (0.88 oz)
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
891
Protein
30g
Carbs
180g
Fat
3g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Dissolve 0.5 grams of dry yeast in 150 grams of water.
- 2
Add 300 grams of strong flour and mix well.
- 3
Clean the lid and let it rest in the fridge for 24 hours.
- 4
After 24 hours, combine all the biga, 0.5 grams of dry yeast, and 500 grams of cold water.
- 5
Dissolve the biga as best as possible, then add 700 grams of strong flour and 25 grams of salt.
- 6
Mix everything well and knead for 10 to 12 minutes.
- 7
Let it ferment in the fridge for 24 hours.
- 8
After 24 hours, divide the dough into about 6 balls and let them double in size at room temperature before making pizzas.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Dissolve the biga in cold water for 2-3 minutes before adding flour because the hydrated biga's gluten network breaks down and distributes fermentation byproducts (organic acids, enzymes) evenly, improving flavor development by 30-40%.technique2-3 minutes dissolution time
- ✓Add salt after the biga is fully incorporated and flour is mixed because salt added to wet biga can denature proteins prematurely; adding it to the dry flour-biga mixture allows controlled hydration and optimal gluten cross-linking.techniquePost-flour incorporation timing
- ✓Target dough temperature of 75-78°F after kneading by using water at 50-55°F, since your room-temperature biga (68°F) + flour (68°F) + kneading friction (2-3°F rise) requires cold water to prevent over-fermentation during the 24-hour cold bulk.ingredient75-78°F dough temp | 50-55°F water
- ✓Knead for exactly 10-12 minutes because at this duration with 0.5g yeast in 1.2kg dough (0.042% inoculation), the gluten develops sufficient elasticity to trap gas during cold fermentation without over-developing and tightening the dough.timing10-12 minutes | 0.042% inoculation rate
- ✓After 24-hour fridge fermentation, ball the dough at 50°F directly from cold storage, then let it reach room temperature (68-72°F) for 3-4 hours before stretching because gradual warming allows gluten to relax and prevents degassing; dough will gain 40-50% volume during this phase.timing3-4 hours at 68-72°F | 40-50% volume gain