Fermenter / Batch Fermentation

Question: What is pre-fermentation in baking?

(Posted by: daniel d on 2006-10-09 04:52:18)

Posted by: Cristi@n on 2006-10-09, 05:02:17

A poolish is a form of pre-fermentation which gives bread a richer taste. When a baker makes bread, there are several ways to begin. The most conventional is to mix yeast with warm water and sugar and when it is dissolved to add it to the flour and other ingredients in the bread recipe. There are several forms of prefermentation which, by allowing the yeast to develop before being added to the other ingredients, create a richer and more complex taste in the bread when it is baked. One form is a levain, a mixture of more flour than water. A levain needs to be 'fed' — at four hour (or sometimes more) intervals additional flour and water are added. A levain is the basis for sourdough bread, in that the long aging (as the levain is fed) allows the yeast (in traditional sourdough, it comes from using a remainder of the previous levain) to develop a complex and fairly sour flavor. A biga (the term is Italian) is a stiff mixture of water, flour and yeast, used as a prefermentation or starter. A poolish is more liquid, composed of roughly equal amounts of flour and water, with yeast added. It ferments in 4 to 8 hours, and adds a nutty taste to the bread and also helps it to keep fresh after it is baked and stored.