What is poolish?

biga

An Italian-style stiff pre-ferment, roughly 50-60% hydration (not equal parts flour and water — that would be a poolish). Mixed with a small amount of yeast (~0.1-0.3% of the biga's flour) and rested 12-16 hours at room temperature until tripled in volume and webbed with bubbles. The next day, the biga goes into the final dough as a pre-fermented chunk of flour. The stiff hydration is the defining difference: where poolish develops sharp, slightly tangy flavors, biga develops gentler nutty and yeasty notes. The slower fermentation also produces stronger gluten, which is why ciabatta and many Italian artisan breads use a biga rather than a poolish — the strong gluten network supports the recipe's characteristic high hydration without collapsing.

fermentolyse

A rest after mixing all ingredients including salt and yeast, before kneading. Less hydration time than a pure autolyse (because the salt tightens the dough and the yeast starts working immediately), but simpler — no two-stage mix. Pizza recipes, poolish-based loaves, and most home bakers use this in place of a true autolyse without noticeable difference in result.