Homemade White Bread with 80% Biga

There are very few things in the world as good as homemade bread and butter in my opinion. I don't get to make bread often because of the time commitment, but when I do, it's so therapeutic and worth the effort. Making homemade bread may be intimidating to the novice, but I promise you, it's easier than you think. This recipe is a great one to start with on your bread-making journey.

The evening before you plan to bake your bread, work on the biga (preferment). Place 3 tablespoons of the 80°F water and all of the preferment yeast into a small bowl. Mix with your finger and allow it to sit for five minutes. If the mixture gets frothy, it's a good indication that the yeast is alive, so you can proceed. If not, start over with new yeast.

Mix the water/yeast mixture in with the flour and the rest of the water. Use the pincer method or a pinching motion to mix this mixture. Once combined, cover with aluminum foil and leave it out overnight at room temperature, ideally in a room that's 65°F to 70°F.

The next day, the preferment should have doubled and formed gasses. Set aside and you can now begin with the final dough.

In a 12-quart tub, add 22 grams of salt, 2 grams of yeast, and 200 grams of flour and mix it by hand. Pour in the 206 grams of 105°F water and mix until just incorporated. Then, add in the biga all at once and mix until combined. Wet your hands before handling the biga as it is very sticky. Also, keep your plastic dough scraper handy to use if needed. Use the pincer method to properly mix. Once the dough is mixed, begin to fold the dough.

To fold the dough, dip your hand in warm water to wet it so the dough won't stick to you as much. With your moistened hand, reach underneath the dough and pull about one-quarter of it out and up to stretch it until you feel resistance, then fold it over the top to the other side of the dough. Do this four to five times. Let the dough relax for a bit and once the dough flattens in the tub, begin the folding process again. Do this one more time for a total of three folding sessions.

After the dough has been folded, cover the tub with aluminum foil and allow the dough to bulk ferment for 3 ½ hours at room temperature in a warm spot. After that stage, turn the dough out onto a floured surface.

Once you have the dough on the surface, flour the dough if needed, begin to lightly shape it into somewhat a log shape, and use your bench scraper to divide the dough in half. Begin to form each half of dough into a ball and so there is a seam formed on the bottom. Place in a well-floured proofing basket or large bowl. Cover with a clean linen towel and allow to proof for an hour at room temperature in a warm spot. You will know your dough is proofed enough if you poke it with your finger and the dent lightly springs back at you slowly and incompletely. If it springs back immediately, allow the dough to continue to proof. While the dough is proofing, make sure to preheat your oven and dutch oven at 475°F.

Dump the proofed dough onto a floured surface. Begin to pinch the edges of the dough to the top to form a seam. Carefully remove the Dutch oven from the oven. Use your bench scraper to gently move the dough into the Dutch oven, ensuring the pinched seam is facing up. Cover with the lid and place in the oven. Bake at 475°F for 30 minutes with the lid on, uncover, and bake for another 20-30 minutes, making sure to check at the 15-minute mark as some ovens run hotter than others. The exterior should be golden brown.

Note: If you have two Dutch ovens and can fit both of them in the oven at the same time, preheat both of them. If you only have one, place the second loaf in the fridge for about 15 to 20 minutes before baking the first loaf. If your loaves proof in the fridge overnight, keep the second loaf in the fridge while the first loaf is baking. Once the first loaf comes out of the oven, reheat the Dutch oven for about five minutes before baking the second loaf.

When the bread is fully baked, remove the Dutch oven from the kitchen oven and tilt it to turn the loaf onto a cooling rack. Let it cool on a rack or set it on its side so air can circulate around it. Let the loaf rest for at least 20 minutes before slicing. Bake the second loaf if applicable using the same baking process.