Danish Dough With Biga

Biga is another kind of pre-fermented dough. It is an Italian preferment with low hydration, and low yeast activity. It adds in elasticity and will aide in more vertical lift in the final product then a regular danish dough or a pat fermente. It does behave very similarly to pat fermente.


This formula is from the Michel Suas Book Advanced Bread and Pastry, A Professional Approach, Pg. 349-350
Formula: yields 30 kg
Biga: 30%

The Biga looks very similar to the
pate fermenté dough, it is just a
little bit more sticky though.

100% Bread Flour, 5.095 kg
55% Milk, 2.804 kg
0.4% Instant Yeast, 2 g

Final Dough:
100% Bread Flour, 11.81 kg
48.01% Milk*, 5.308 kg
11.18% Eggs, 1.889 kg
11.88% Sugar, 2.009 kg
2.10% Salt, 354 g
1.38% Osmotolerant Instant Yeast, 213 g
2.79% Butter, 471 g
Total: 177.39%
*This dough has a tendency to be a little dry so make sure you have extra milk on hand. When we prepared this formula in class we added about 3% of milk into the mix to properly hydrate the dough.


MOP: Improved Mix
DDT: 75° Fahrenheit
Variables: 4 + 1 (so, five)
Biga has an additional variable of water from eggs. Because eggs has water inside of it you have to consider the temperature of the eggs when finding out the water temperature. However since it is a smaller water percentage you dont include it in the regular variables when equating for the water temperature.

Water temperature for Biga Danish = (4 variables x DDT) minus Room Temperature minus Friction Factor minus Flour Temperature minus Biga Temperature. Then, take the water temperature and subtract the egg temperature, find the difference between the two numbers and add this to the water temperature.

For instance:

Water temperature = (4x75) = 300

300 - 73° (RT) - 27 (FF) - 38° (FT) - 72.3° (Biga) = 89.7°

89.7° - 37° (Egg temperature) = 52.7

52.7 ÷ 2 = 26

89.7° + 26 ≈ 114°

• place all ingredients in mixer and mix on low speed until the dough is uniformly hydrated. Increase to a medium speed and mix for 2-3 minutes or until you can pull a window pane with very little gnarls in it. The dough should feel stiffer, so it should be a little harder to make a window pane from this dough.
• Pull off of mixer and place dough in a covered, oiled bin for proofing. Let dough (also called the detrempe) ferment in a proof box or at room temperature for 45 - 60 minutes. The dough should change in smell slightly when it is finished proofing, it should also feel slightly softer to the touch.
• Continue to process dough like you would for croissant dough.