you can make Biga: www.6park.com

2 1/2 cup bread flour
1/2 tsp instand yeast
3/4 cup water www.6park.com

mix them together and keep the dough in room temp for 2-4 hours, degas the dough,  keep this dough wrapped in refrigerator overnight, or up to 3-days.

If you use the starter, you may need to hold back the water, so run your mixer while adding the water slowly.


Q&A:

Q:
昨天做了biga, 嚴格按你的方子來：2 1/2 cup bread flour；1/2 tsp instand yeast；3/4 cup water。　混合後，感覺水少，麵是散的，所以自作主張加了點水，然後放一不繡鋼盆裏發麵。然後就去睡覺了，忘了ｄｅｇａｓ麵團。今天早上起來一看，麵發了３倍大，就連盆塞冰箱了，也忘了揉一下。不知道這麽搞出來的Ｂｉｇａ對不對？而且我做的這個是麵團，到時候怎麽量１．２５杯出來？還是就稱重量７盎司就好了？

A:
沒問題,  麵粉的牌子不同, 吸水也不同,  可以用, 我是用king arthur unbleached bread flour.
 
對,  把麵種用稱量7oz,  用剪刀剪成小塊後跟其它的料一起用攪麵機攪,  要攪大約10-15分鍾, 麵團要能拉出膜來,  在攪拌過程中可以調整麵團的濕度, 太幹就補水, 太濕就補粉,  等麵團的邊園離麵盤是光滑的, 但麵團的底部還是粘在盆底的, 就濕度正好,  停止加麵或水, 就一直攪到起膜,
 
起膜就是取一小塊麵團, 象餃子皮一樣大, 用手把麵團撐開, 能夠象紙一樣透明不會斷,就是起膜了, 做麵包都要揉到這個地部就好了.  然後就放盤裏抹點油, 蓋好, 我用旅館裏沒用過的浴帽蓋盤上, 不完全密封, 有透氣, 但不會讓麵團發幹.
 
在大約 72F的室溫裏2小時, 會發到2倍大, 就排氣整型,   圓的, 長的, 都行, 可以做兩個, 
或一個大的麵包.   整完型後, 可以放烤盤裏再第二次發酵,  室溫裏1小時就夠了, 這時會是1.5倍大.  烤箱預熱400F,  烤架放在烤箱的中間. 
 
進烤箱前, 可刷橄欖油, 或牛奶, 或蛋液, 也可以不刷任何東西,   還可以撒點籽和香料在上麵,  看你喜歡哪樣的外表.  可以用刀畫痕,  也可以不劃.
 
 
可用普通的baking sheet, 或用pizza stone 來烤, 後者烤出來的外皮會脆點, 看你喜歡哪樣. 我都做過.   如果要移動麵團的話, 成型後的麵團下麵用烤紙墊(parchment paper), 或撒玉米麵(corn meal), 方便把麵團推進烤盤或石板的.



More Q & A

1. 成分裏的土豆泥，你是怎麽調的？你有放奶油，牛奶和鹽之類的嗎？
 
A: Since I made this bread so many times, it becomes my staple now, as you know I never stick to one method when it comes to cooking, however for baking, I do follow the recipe closely, maybe bread is another story.   Anyways, I have used actual leftover mashed potatoes, it normally has butter, salt, pepper and sour cream added for flavor as well as for richness; I've also used instant mash potato mix from Costco and Trader Joe's;  many times, I just boiled or microwaved the fresh potatoes and then mash them with a folk;  my most recent one, I've even used yam from my leftover dinner;   Another time I used some potato flour from King Arthur Flour.   They all came out so good.  I think the potato starch really gives the bread the soft and moist texture, it also adds shelf life to the bread.  The salt , pepper and butter just make the bread taste better in flavor, I guess.
 
 

2. 麵團裏你有放黑胡椒粒和roasted garlic嗎？我問XX，她說好像沒吃到garlic的味道。
 
A: yes, I did add coarsly ground black pepper and garlic, talk about garlic, I also did many different ways, I cut the garlic bulb in half and drizzle some olive oil, wrap them in foil and roasted in my toaster oven for 30 minutes to get the creamy garlic pulp.  I did the same thing wrap them up in a moist paper towel, using microwave to cook the garlic for only 5 minutes.  I also used granulated garlic powder and dried garlic flakes... again the garlic is just there for flavor.  Of cause, the oven roasted garlic is the best.
 

3. 看XX照的麵包相片，你好像在麵包表麵揉進了其他的香料，好像茴香籽之類的？
 
A: Yes, I sprinkled some store bought bread topping, you can find them in supermarkets, or KingArthurFlour.com, or you can make your own.  It is a mixture of cumin seeds, poppy seed, sesame seeds, fennel seeds,
 

4. 你是放在橢圓形的發麵籃子裏發的麵團？發好後再反扣麵團在石板上烤的嗎？我跟了你所有的麵包貼子，知道你用過不同的烤具來烤這個麵包（clay pot, 鎔鐵鍋，石板還有baking sheet）,你覺得效果最好的是用什麽來烤這個麵包？
 
A: Again, I did many ways for the looks of the bread.  I made round, oval, loaf, small rolls for shapes, I did different glaze for the crust, egg wash, olive oil, seeds, plain flour.  Some of them I scored the top with knife, some of them I left them whole. Using my proofing basket is one way to get the mark I like just for fun.  By the way, the proofing basket actually do help the bread rise better and have more chewy crust, because it allows the moisture to be absorbed by the basket.    Yes, I used different baking vessels too, I like to use the pizza stone the best, it gives crispier crust.  If you use a pizza stone, you will need to use a pizza peel for final proofing, so it will be easily slide over to your hot pizza stone. 
 
5. 用石板烤的話，是不是一次隻能烤一個麵團？
 
A: I use my pizza stone if I bake one 2-LB large bread.  I use my baking sheet to bake two 1-LB bread.

6. 方子說用35到45分鍾，400度中層烤。你是烤了多少分鍾就達到內部溫度195度呢？
 
A:  For one large bread, I check the temp after 40 min, for two smaller bread, I check after 35 min.  If you bake small rolls, use 350F for baking  rather than 400F.
 
 

7. 我有一個圓型的發麵藍子，附有lining。還沒用過發麵籃子。假如我不鋪那lining的話，是不是要放些麵粉在籃子裏，以防麵團沾啊？
 
A: I use the fabric lining only for very wet dough, otherwise, you can not release the dough from the basket after proofing.  I sprinkle flour or some time I spray oil then dust with bran or oats.

8. 玻璃瓶裏你的自做橄欖油沾汁，是怎麽調浸的呢？
 
A: I add the bruised rosemary, thyme, crushed garlic with the peel, chili pepper, black pepper corn to my extra virgin olive oil for dipping.
 
OK, I got to run,  please feel free to email me with any questions.