Focaccia with biga

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 400 g wheat flour (type 00 or 550)
• 190 g water
• 6 g yeast, fresh
• 1 tsp sugar, if desired
• 400 g wheat flour (type 00 or 550)
• 270 g water
• 6 g yeast
• 2 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• rosemary
• Sea salt, coarse
• olive oil
• Flour for dusting

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 1 day 2 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 15 minutes; Total time approx. 1 day 2 hours 45 minutes

This dough is suitable for focaccia, pizza and ciabatta

For the biga, dissolve the yeast (6 g) with the sugar (optional) in lukewarm water (190 g). Knead 400 g of wheat flour with the yeast water until you have a firm, smooth dough. This takes about 5 minutes. Cover the dough and let it stand in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours, preferably 24 hours, or up to three days. The dough will rise slightly. Dissolve the remaining yeast (6 g) in lukewarm water (270 g) and pour it over the biga. Add the remaining flour (400 g) and knead into a moist, homogeneous dough. This takes about 5 minutes. Now knead in the salt and oil until the dough becomes elastic. This takes another 5 minutes. Cover the dough and let it rise for about two hours. The dough will rise considerably. Preheat the oven to 250°C (fan oven) or as hot as possible. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, slide the dough onto it, lightly flour it, and shape it. Let it rise for another 15 minutes. Then, using your thumb, make indentations in the dough, fill them with olive oil, and brush the olive oil evenly over the dough (the indentations should still be lightly filled with olive oil). Sprinkle rosemary sprigs and coarse sea salt over the dough, if desired. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the focaccia is nicely browned. This dough is also perfect for ciabatta and crispy pizza dough.