Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In Roman antiquity, a chariot or car drawn by two horses abreast.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Antiq.) A two-horse chariot.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun historical A Roman racing chariot drawn by two horses abreast.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin bīga.

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Examples

  • A biga is a preferment, a mixture of flour, liquid, and yeast that is allowed extra time to ferment slowly -- long and slow being key elements in the making of good bread -- to build flavor that it will then pass on to the bread when it is mixed into the dough.

    Archive 2005-01-01 2005

  • THS was over, I made my first biga, which is the Italian version of a homemade starter that precisely resembles in ingredients and form an actual bread dough and is treated similarly.

    italian bread | smitten kitchen 2007

  • This recipe started with a biga which is much easier than a sourdough starter.

    Archive 2008-01-01 kat 2008

  • This recipe started with a biga which is much easier than a sourdough starter.

    Bread Making kat 2008

  • So if you are making a recipe from another source that calls for biga, make sure you check to see exactly what kind of biga it requires.

    smitten kitchen | italian bread | print template 2007

  • So if you are making a recipe from another source that calls for biga, make sure you check to see exactly what kind of biga it requires.

    italian bread | smitten kitchen 2007

  • These are not the orange trees that give us vitamin C, but rather bitter orange trees or citrus aurantium biga radia —"one of the quintessential 'giving trees' of the perfume world," says David Seth Moltz, the nose behind D.S.

    Orange Blossoms Aleksandra Crapanzano 2011

  • My biga and soaker sat in my fridge for 3 days -- you don't need to wait 3 days, 12 hours is the minimum, but I figured that the longer it sat, the tastier it would be, and I knew I wanted to serve the bread with a lamb stew I would be making (and will be sharing with you).

    Archive 2008-10-01 Laura 2008

  • Bring the biga and soaker to room temperature (2 hours).

    Archive 2008-10-01 Laura 2008

  • Pinch the biga and soaker into 12 segments -- as I threw them into the bowl I sprinkled with the 7 tablespoons of flour to keep them from re-adhering.

    What A difference 24 Hours Can Make!: 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread Laura 2008

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