Of poolish, biga and ... what the heck is that anyhow?

So here's where I begin. I've been using Gold Medal "all-purpose" flour for my white breads and I have made a few artisan breads with it just to see if the flour makes any great difference in the finished loaf. It does, but not as I'd thought it would so I'm back to trying every recipe using each flour all over again. (sigh) I can say, for my taste and needs, Gold Medal is pretty fair and a good bit cheaper! As I have the KA I might as well use it up. Same with the Wheat Montana I have in the freezer.

The starters below will end up flavoring one of my favorite breads- Ciabatta!

A poolish with 2oz of rye flour

A biga, also with 2oz of rye flour.

I have to mark the time,

as I can't remember my name most days, let alone when I started a ferment!

WTH? This is from Pete R.'s "Tuscan Bread" recipe. Boiling water and flour? Mix until smooth and let sit at room temperature over night?

Okay Peter, you haven't misled me yet.

I'll make the Tuscan Bread tomorrow. The poolish and biga need a few days in the fridge before I use them to build the ciabattas. As the Bulgarian will be gone for the weekend I guess I'll hold off baking the bread until Monday. If she isn't back until Tuesday, she'll not get the loaves fresh from the oven. Not that she cares! How she hoards the bread (for as long as a week), nibbling them instead of gorging on them is beyond me. When they're fair to middlin' good, they seldom last two days in our house!

Oo, that reminds me. I need to get the Bulgarian to teach me how to make a few soups in our Polish tureen. Ciabatta, that has a few days on it, is great for sopping soup!