Stage one: biga
- Flour
- 614g
- Water
- 276g
- Instant yeast
- 6.1g
Stiff preferment
Biga Pizza Dough Calculator
Use this biga pizza dough calculator to build a stiff preferment while controlling the finished dough hydration. Change the percentage of flour in the biga, its hydration and the final dough target; the remaining flour and water are calculated automatically.
Calculate your doughYour dough
Set the formula
Preferment: Biga
How are the percentages applied?
All baker's percentages use the total flour in the complete dough. The prefermented-flour setting decides how much of that flour moves into the biga; its own hydration then sets the water in that stage.
Calculated recipe
Mix in two stages
1,040g4 dough balls at 260g each
Stage one
Make the biga — 16 hours before the final mix
- Flour
- 614g
- Water
- 276g
- Instant yeast
- 6.1g
Stage two
Complete the dough
- Remaining flour
- 0g
- Remaining water
- 129g
- Salt
- 15g
Matched to your plan
Equipment and ingredients for this bake
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Choose your oven type to see products matched to this batch.
Check the dough, not only the clock. The time shown is your planning input. Flour, yeast condition and temperature determine when the preferment is actually ready.
Read 100% correctly
All the flour starts in the biga; not all the water does.
A 100% biga places every gram of recipe flour into the preferment. It does not mean equal flour and water: this biga contains water equal to 45% of its flour weight.
The finished dough targets 66% hydration, so the calculator holds back the difference for the final mix.
In plain languageFinal water = total water at 66% hydration − water already in the 45% hydration biga
Worked example
A 100% flour biga for four 260g balls
The example deliberately shows zero remaining flour and a separate final-water addition.
- Batch
- 4 × 260g balls
- Finished hydration
- 66%
- Flour in preferment
- 100%
- Biga hydration
- 45%
Stage two: final mix
- Remaining flour
- 0g
- Remaining water
- 129g
- Salt
- 15g
Mixing problems to avoid
Protect the split between the two stages
Dry pieces remain in the final dough
Break up and incorporate the stiff preferment using the chosen method; it will not dissolve like poolish.
Biga hydration becomes the dough target
The 45% setting describes stage one only. The final dough reaches its separate hydration later.
The flour share changes without checking water
A wetter or larger preferment can consume more water than the finished formula allows.
Two distinct mixes
Build the stiff preferment before adding final water.
The default 16 hours schedules the work; readiness still depends on temperature and yeast.
- 01
Combine the biga
Mix all calculated flour with the smaller stage-one water quantity and yeast.
- 02
Assess the preferment
Follow the source method’s appearance and aroma cues rather than forcing a timer.
- 03
Complete hydration
Incorporate the held-back water and salt until the stiff pieces form one coherent dough.
Preferment choice
Choose biga for a stiff first stage, poolish for a liquid one.
Both reserve fermentation for stage one, but distribute water differently. Poolish begins with equal flour and water; this biga begins with all flour and less than half its weight in water.
Method source
The 100% flour starting point is traceable.
Gozney’s published method supports the 100% flour and 45% hydration configuration. Pizza Preacher scales the batch and leaves controls editable.
- Gozney 100% biga pizza dough recipeA stiff biga containing all recipe flour, followed by final-water incorporation.
Related calculators
Choose the method you are actually making
Useful answers
Biga calculator questions
What is a 100% biga?
It means all recipe flour is fermented in the biga before the final mix, not equal flour and water.
Why is the final dough wetter than the biga?
Additional water in the final mix raises the hydration of the complete dough.