Biga is a type of sourdough starter used in Italian baking. Many popular Italian breads, including ciabatta, are made using a biga. As with other types of sourdough starters, a biga is often made with wild yeasts. Biga preparations differ from traditional American sourdough starters in that they can be dry, with the consistency of soft dough, rather than liquid. Sourdough is a symbiotic culture of lactobacilli and yeasts used to leaven bread. ... Wikibooks Cookbook has more about this subject: Baking Baking is the technique of cooking food in an oven by dry heat applied evenly throughout the oven. ... Breads are a group of staple foods prepared by baking, steaming, or frying dough consisting minimally of flour and water. ... Ciabatta, which literally means slipper, is an Italian white bread made with wheat flour and yeast. ... ÈYeasts constitute a group of single-celled (unicellular) fungi, a few species of which are commonly used to leaven bread and ferment alcoholic beverages. ...