biga

[ bee-gah, -guh, bahy- ]

noun

, Classical Antiquity.

, plural bi·gae [bee, -gee, -jee, -gahy, bahy, -].

1. a two-wheeled chariot drawn by two horses harnessed abreast.

Word History and Origins

Origin of biga¹

1840–50; < Latin bīga, bīgae, for *biiuga ( bi- bi- ¹ + iug ( um ) yoke ¹ + -a feminine nominative singular ending)

Example Sentences

At Biga Pizza, we ate a magnificent creation of squash, caramelized onions and two kinds of cheese.

From Salon

A biga is an Italian-style preferment typically left for around 12 hours to ripen, bringing additional flavor and textural benefits to the final dough.

From Salon

Commonly, ciabatta is leavened with instant yeast, usually mixed up as a biga.

From Salon

Ken Forkish’s white bread with 80% biga recipe, from his 2012 book “Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast,” is perfect for these testing times.

From Washington Times

The pies — their crusts flavored with a touch of biga, the slightly fermented starter — are worth a visit to Stellina all by themselves.

From Washington Post