Biga vs Poolish in Ciabatta
Greetings,
I have been doing a sourdough ciabatta for awhile now, and liking it very much - but I have begun to think about the process, and wondering why it needed a firm biga - it calls for a 50% hydration biga, and I don't like using my stand mixer for something that firm - so I've been doing it by hand, which isn't a breeze! Then, the next day, you have to slowly incorporate pieces of the biga into your final dough - not difficult, but more time consuming than if you had just used a 100% poolish instead. What is the benefit of using a firm biga in ciabatta? Why not just make it easier and use the 100% poolish?
I raise this question so I might better understand the process of breadmaking - and I suspect that there are bakers hereabouts who have this knowledge.
TIA for your response.
john