Artisan sourdough, a fermented dough in which lactic bacteria and yeast coexist in balance. With sourdough, fragrant products are obtained, which keep for a long time and are more digestible thanks to the natural and longer fermentation process compared to brewer’s yeast.
Homemade sourdough can be solid or liquid with different characteristics between the two. They are essentially the same product which differs mainly in the refresh management.
How to make homemade sourdough
Ingredients:
To begin
- 150 g of type 1 flour (T65)
- 140 g of water
For the first update
- 50 g of starter
- 50 g of type 1 flour (T65)
- 50 g of water
For other refreshments
- 100 g of sourdough starter
- 100 g type 1 flour (T65 – T80)
- 50 g of water
Preparation:
- To prepare the sourdough you only need flour and water.
Start by preparing the sourdough: pour the flour into a pan then add the water and mix. Remove the seal from the lid to avoid creating an anaerobic environment and close the jar.
Let the starter sit at room temperature for 48 hours.
- After this first fermentation phase, check that there is no mold on the surface. The surface of the dough should have bubbles and the dough should have an acetic but not unpleasant smell.
Cut off the top of the dough and discard it. Then pour some of the starter into another pot. Add the flour and water for the first refreshment. Mix and leave to rest at room temperature for 48 hours.
- After this time, check again that there is no mold on the surface and cut the top part of the dough.
Weigh the sourdough and refresh it in a 2:2:1 ratio, i.e. with the same quantity of flour and half of water. Mix well for a few minutes then knead on the work surface.
- Form the dough into a ball and place it in a large pot. Score the surface with a sharp knife and leave to rest for 24 hours at room temperature
- Proceed with the second refreshment: eliminate the superficial crust of the dough and then use only the heart of the yeast
- Weigh it and refresh it with the same proportions as last time 2:2:1. 2 parts yeast, 2 parts flour and 1 part water.
- Knead well on the work surface. Then form a ball and place it in the pan and score the surface.
Repeat cooling for at least 10 days before using the yeast.
This allows you to optimize the balance of the bacterial flora to obtain better results.
How to use MATERIAL YEAST
Before preparing the bread dough, you must first refresh the sourdough starter and then it must at least double in volume.
You need to calculate the amount of yeast needed during the refresh phase to avoid refreshing too much.
For example: I have 250 g of sourdough starter in the fridge. For the dough I have to use 125g.
- I remove the superficial part and take only the heart of the yeast (about 150 g).
- Refresh 150 g of yeast (2:2:1): 150 g of yeast, 150 g of flour and 75 g of water.
- In this way I obtained 375 g of refreshed sourdough.
- For the dough I take 125 g, taking care to keep 250 g which will serve as a base for subsequent refreshments.
- I let the 125 g of sourdough rest until it had doubled in volume.
- I advise you not to exceed more than 25% of yeast on the total weight of the dough. On 500 g of flour use 125 g of sourdough starter.