Pre-Ferment

Biga, sponge and dough, poolish; the list of members of the pre-ferment family just goes on.

A pre-ferment is made from flour, water and yeast left to ferment for a number of hours, perhaps overnight. It is then added to the bulk of the dough’s other ingredients.

There are several reasons Real Bread bakers may choose to do this. One is that it allows less or weaker strains of yeast to be used. Another is that it can help build gluten strength and stretchiness; particularly useful when working with softer, weaker flours.