Going to 75% hydration with biga
Two ways to push a biga pizza dough from 70% to 75% hydration, and what changes in flour, temperature and mixing.
A 70% biga dough is already soft and airy. Going to 75% makes it softer still, with a moister, more open crumb. It’s also harder to handle, and more sensitive to temperature.
Two ways to add the water
1. Keep the biga at 50% and add more in the final dough. The simplest change. For 1 kg of flour, the biga keeps its 500 g of water, and the final dough gets 250 g instead of 200 g. In the calculator, just set total hydration to 75%.
2. Make a wetter biga. Gabriel Reboul’s 75% recipe uses a 60% hydration biga (600 g water per kg of flour) and adds only 150 g in the final dough. A wetter biga ferments faster, so he keeps it cold, at 2–3°C, for 24–48 hours. In the calculator, set biga hydration to 60%, total hydration to 75%, and the biga temperature to your fridge’s.
What changes
- Flour. Use a strong flour meant for long fermentations. It has to hold both the long biga and the extra water. Gabriel insists on this, especially for the biga.
- Add water slowly. Add the final water in small amounts and let the dough absorb each one before the next. With more water, this matters more.
- Keep the dough cooler. Aim for 19–21°C while mixing, and never above 26°C. Use ice-cold water.
- Expect a stickier dough. Coil folds after mixing help build strength. Wet hands help with balling.
- Climate matters. Gabriel suggests 65–74% hydration in humid, temperate conditions and 76–80% in dry, cold conditions. Flour absorbs water differently depending on the air.
First time?
Go up in steps: 72%, then 75%. Gabriel also suggests starting lower (around 65%) if you’re new to biga. Same recipe, same process, just less water while you get a feel for the dough.