biga
Terri’s Fresh Rosemary Bread
Finding things to do with all the herbs, fruits and vegetables Sage grows around here, can be a challenge (what does one do with a pound of Borage?), but one use that’s always guaranteed to be a big hit is fresh rosemary from the garden in my homemade rosemary bread. It’s actually a simple bread recipe, but when it’s spiked with a little biga and finely chopped fresh rosemary, it makes a nutty, woodsy, slightly chewy bread that’s great all by itself, as well as topped with good stuff like pesto, melty cheese, or a tangy-garlic and horseradish spread. It’s [keep reading...]
Terri’s Biga Recipe
The secret to great bread is old dough. Not the “hey, I found this package of ready-bake biscuits at the back of the fridge” type of old dough, but the kind that turns a pretty good loaf into a delicious toasty, tangy, chewy, sensory delight. Old dough is the magic behind sourdough as well as many Italian, French and other breads and goes by names like “biga”, “poolish” and “starter.” Bakers call these “pre-ferments”, but it’s more accurate to call them “initial ferments” since what you’re doing is fermenting yeast over many hours or days to produce aromas, flavors and [keep reading...]