Ischia Biga Pizza Dough
John Stephenson's pizza built on a stiff Ischia-culture biga, using 10% biga against the flour at about 62% hydration with 2.5% salt. A long flour-and-water autolyse, a couple of hours of bulk fermentation, and a 24-72 hour cold retard build structure and flavor; salt goes in late in the mix.
John Stephenson's pizza built on a stiff Ischia-culture biga, using 10% biga against the flour at about 62% hydration with 2.5% salt. A long flour-and-water autolyse, a couple of hours of bulk fermentation, and a 24-72 hour cold retard build structure and flavor; salt goes in late in the mix.
Ingredients
Method
Keep an Ischia-culture biga (a stiff, well-fed sourdough preferment) at full strength. Warm it at room temperature for a couple of hours before mixing to wake the yeast, especially in cool, dry weather.
Combine the flour and water and let them autolyse for about an hour before mixing.
Add the biga, tearing it into pieces as you mix it into the dough; let it rest so fermentation begins and the flour fully hydrates and develops elasticity.
Add the salt toward the end of the mix and mix until the dough comes together.
Every edit is kept, so the story of this dish stays whole — from the first time it was saved to the version on your screen now.
See the family tree