Biga...how long does it last???

black spots (or grey, or greenish, or bluish, or fuzzy, etc.) usually indicate the presence of mold.  I pitch the affected item.  Well, except for some hard cheeses...

In your house?

Paul

...because biga with mold on it is definitely bad.

Double wrap in plastic wrap. Wrap once and press it down, in the plastic wrap, into a flattish disk (because it will freeze completely more quickly that way). Put a label (with the date) on it and then wrap again.

I usually make a big batch of biga (about 3 - 4 pounds at a time). After kneading, I let it rise at room temperature for an hour or two (until it has risen about 40% - 50% of the original bulk), give it a stretch-and-fold, return to bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise overnight in the refrigerator. The next day I divide it into portions (by weight) that are suitable for the recipes I use, wrap, label and freeze.

The day before you intend to bake, let it defrost, still wrapped, in the refrigerator. If, for some reason, you don't bake with it that day, you could keep it, now defrosted, in the 'frig for an extra day, but no longer. Once defrosted, if held too long, I think it develops an off taste - a little yeasty or strong.

I typically use up all my packets from a batch of frozen biga in about 2 months and it always performs well.

I've been doing this for years and it works great. Bread dough made with biga only needs a bulk rise and then the rise after shaping. It really cuts down on time if you have frozen biga on hand.

best of luck in your baking  - SF

I've never heard of biga lasting longer than three days in the refrigerator.  Perhaps the author(s) of Il Fornaio Baking Cookbook use refrigerators whose temps have been set close to the freezing point?  IDK.

In the freezer, however, it should last for 3 or 4 months, so long as you wrap it air-tight.

Personally, I have always made only what I need the night before, refrigerated it, and then used it the next day, but that's my own individual preference.

I'm sure freezing it would work well, but I enjoy the actual process of making the biga, and the resulting loaf, too much to try to save time by freezing a big batch of it.  Again, that's just my personal preference.

I'm sure SF's method would well for you, should you choose to try freezing it.  Especially the part about labelling the frozen biga with either the date that it was made or an expiration date...that's a great idea.

I just found in the back of the freezer a 250 gram piece of biga that had been prepared per Reinhart’s Crust & Crumb recipe, p. 38. It was tightly wrapped in plastic, then alum foil, then in a plastic, lidded container. 

Here’s the thing:  The date on it was 4 1/2 years ago. I’m thawing it in the fridge. 

Think it’s still viable, or should I just deep-six it?