In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the bread flour and yeast. Add the room-temperature water and mix until combined. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 8?24 hours.

Uncover the bowl with the biga. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the yeast and warm water. Cover and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes until the yeast has dissolved.

Add the biga, the 2 and 1/2 cups bread flour, and salt. Gently mix until all the flour is moistened and the dough is uniform in texture. If needed, lightly grease your hands with olive oil and gently knead the ingredients together.

Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.

With greased hands or a spatula, lift up the dough at 12 o?clock and gently stretch it up, then pull it toward the opposite side of the bowl. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat. Do this until you?ve gone around the bowl twice, for a total of 8 folds. Cover the bowl and let rest for 30 minutes.

Repeat the stretch-and-fold process three more times, allowing the dough to rest for 30 minutes between each. After the 4th stretch-and-fold, cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.

Generously flour your work surface. Gently scrape the dough out of the bowl onto the floured surface. Stretch and shape the dough into a rectangle, about 10?7 inches. For 8 rolls, cut the dough into 8 pieces, each around 2.5?3.5 inches. For 2 loaves, cut in half to make two 5?7-inch rectangles.

Flour a piece of parchment paper. Using floured hands, lift the dough pieces and transfer them to the floured parchment, spacing them at least 2 inches apart. Gently reshape if needed.

Lightly sprinkle flour over the rolls and cover them with a kitchen towel. Let rest at room temperature for 1 hour.

Position one oven rack in the bottom position and another in the center. Preheat the oven to 450?F (232?C) and place a baking sheet on the center rack.

When ready to bake, scatter several cups of ice cubes in a shallow pan. Uncover the rolls and lightly spray them with water. Quickly remove the baking sheet from the oven and slide the parchment paper with bread onto it. Slide the pan with ice cubes onto the bottom rack and close the oven door.

Bake for 20?25 minutes, or until golden brown. The bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped or reaches an internal temperature of 205?F (96?C) to 210?F (99?C).

Remove the rolls from the oven and allow to cool for at least 45 minutes before slicing and serving.