Biga calculator
A biga is a stiff Italian preferment — roughly 45–60% hydration — that gives pizza and ciabatta strength and a deep, nutty flavor. The calculator is preset to a 50% biga pizza dough; the tables give the biga and the water still to add for any final hydration.
Formula baker's % of total flour
Batch size
Preferment
Water temperature
Use water at 66°F
74 × 4 − (70 + 72 + 24 + 64) = 66
Your recipe
| Ingredient | Baker's % | Total formula | Mix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00 flour | 100% | 947 g | 474 g |
| Water | 68% | 644 g | 431 g |
| Salt | 2.8% | 27 g | 27 g |
| Instant yeast | 0.25% | 2.4 g | 0.9 g |
| Biga 45% hydration | 72.5% | — | 688 g |
| Total | 171.05% | 1,620 g | 1,620 g |
Make the biga
The evening before (12–16 hours), mix 474 g 00 flour, 213 g water and 1.4 g instant yeast. Cover and leave at cool room temperature until bubbly and just starting to collapse.
Preset: 6 × 270 g balls · biga 688 g (474 g flour + 213 g water + 1.42 g instant yeast) · final dough water 431 g
Biga for any batch
Grams of biga at 45% hydration with 0.3% instant yeast of its flour (0.9% fresh).
| Total flour | PFF | Biga flour | Water | Instant yeast | Biga weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 g | 30% | 150 g | 68 g | 0.45 g | 218 g |
| 500 g | 50% | 250 g | 113 g | 0.75 g | 363 g |
| 500 g | 100% | 500 g | 225 g | 1.5 g | 725 g |
| 1,000 g | 30% | 300 g | 135 g | 0.9 g | 435 g |
| 1,000 g | 50% | 500 g | 225 g | 1.5 g | 725 g |
| 1,000 g | 100% | 1,000 g | 450 g | 3 g | 1,450 g |
Water to add to the final dough
With a 45% biga, most of the water goes in at the final mix. Per 1,000 g total flour:
| Biga (PFF) | Biga water | 60% dough | 65% dough | 70% dough | 75% dough |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30% | 135 g | 465 g | 515 g | 565 g | 615 g |
| 50% | 225 g | 375 g | 425 g | 475 g | 525 g |
| 100% | 450 g | 150 g | 200 g | 250 g | 300 g |
How a biga works
The modern Italian biga, as codified by Piergiorgio Giorilli, is strong flour with 44–45% water and 1% fresh yeast (about 0.33% instant), fermented 16–18 hours at about 64°F (18°C). It is not kneaded into a ball — mixed just until the water is absorbed it looks like shaggy crumbs, which lets air reach the whole mass.
Biga percentages are again prefermented flour: 30–50% is common for bread and pizza, while "100% biga" doughs ferment all the flour this way and add only water, salt and sometimes a little extra yeast at the final mix. Because the biga is so dry, nearly all the recipe's water goes into the final dough — the table of final-dough water below is the number you actually pour.
Hold the biga cool. If your kitchen is above about 70°F (21°C), leave it out 2–3 hours and then refrigerate it; a warm biga over-ferments, smells sharp and gives a slack, sour dough. Mix the final dough with cold water and add the salt late, once the biga has absorbed most of the water.
See it in a full formula: ciabatta with biga, the poolish calculator, or how preferments count in hydration.
FAQ
What hydration is a biga?
Usually 44–60%. The classic Italian biga is 44–45%; many home recipes use 50–60% for easier mixing. The calculator handles any value.
How much yeast in a biga?
About 1% fresh yeast or 0.33% instant yeast of the biga's flour for 16–18 hours at 64°F (18°C).
How do I make a 100% biga pizza dough?
Put all the flour in the biga (set Preferment to 100% PFF). The final dough is just the biga plus the remaining water and the salt, so the final-dough water table is your recipe.