I was making some very mid pizza until stumbling across this post by u/doughbruhkai, which sources this video for their recipe.
I’ve since made the ones in these photos which taste (and imo, look) great, but I have to use way less water than in the video. Their biga is 50% hydration but if I do that, it becomes wayyyy too wet/sticky and I can’t tear it into pieces like they do before putting it in the fridge. To get the same texture as theirs (if not still slightly stickier), I have to do about 35%. Then, they add more water at the end to total 75% hydration, but I’m only able to add the tiniest bit or else water literally pools in the bowl and won’t absorb anymore so ultimately mine ends up totaling at most 40% hydration to their 75%.
A few factors I’ve thought about are that 1) I live in a very humid place which I know can effect how much water is added when baking, 2) they have a massive mixer that they say to use in reverse for the biga and my little hand mixer doesn’t do that and ultimately ended up breaking from this, so now I just use my hands which I’d imagine makes a difference here. Does anybody else have to reduce the water in recipes or know why I’m having to?
by Outrageous_Lie4761