Pumpkin Rosemary Bread with Biga

What is Biga?  That was my first question about this bread.  According to the Gluten-Free & Vegan Bread cookbook, biga is a small amount of dough that ferments prior to being added to the other ingredients.  Basically, you let a glob of gross-looking stuff sit on the counter for 6 hours.  You need to make the biga in the morning.  You don't actually cook the bread until the late afternoon.  This bread is kind of time consuming, as it takes all day.  The good thing is that you don't do anything in between the biga and the bread.  We loved this bread because we could eat it!  This is also known as First Successful Bread.  Here it is!

Pumpkin Rosemary Bread with Biga  adapted from Gluten-Free and Vegan Bread

Ingredients for Biga:

-1/4 tsp. instant active dry yeast

-1 cup teff flour

-1 cup water

Ingredients for Dough:

-1 cup oat flour

-1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour

-1/2 cup tapioca flour

-1/2 cup potato starch

-1/2 cup pumpkin puree

-2 Tb olive oil

-1 Tb chopped fresh rosemary

-1 Tb maple syrup

-1 tsp. xanthum gum

-1 tsp. sea salt

-1/4 cup water

Directions:

1. Prepare the biga!  Combine biga ingredients in a medium bowl.  Let rest, uncovered of covered with a linen cloth, for 6 to 8 hours.  When the biga shows bubbly, yeast-y activity, it is ready to be mixed with the other ingredients.

2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and place a water bath (pan or tray with water in it) on the bottom rack.  Lightly grease a sheet pan.

3. For the dough: in a large mixing bowl, combine the biga with the dough ingredients.  Mix well until a soft dough has formed. 

4. Turn out the dough onto a work surface dusted with flour and gently form into a dome-ish round shape.

Transfer bread on to sheet pan and score a semicircle on the top of the bread with a knife.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Decrease temp. to 375 degrees and bake for an additional 1 hour, until crusty and firm.