Focaccia with sourdough

a bit longer proving than with fresh yeast but my (15%) sourdough focaccia it's worth the waiting. lots of bubbles as you can see!!!

Next time will come out even better...

Ladies and Gentlemen...Il Pandoro

Probably this post comes out a bit early for Christmas time, but considering all the department stores ready with their cards and decorations, and as shop windows are getting ready for the festive occasions, business is about thinking and acting before competitors. Probably, 2 months in advance are a bit too much, but probably enough time to practice before Christmas Day!

Well, I could not believe my eyes and my nose last Monday, when quietly, from my kitchen a delicate buttery smell was coming out.

I knew something was going to happen when I added up a lovely amount of good quality unsalted butter on top of the rolled out pastry but this is awesome.

A true vanilla pod is among the secrets of this classic Italian treat.

Lastly, but not at all least, brace yourself with a lot of patience because the last proving could take hours.

It is really worth the work and waiting time this "easy peasy" classic dated at the earliest in the eighteenth century in Venice.

As this was the first time, I felt like King Midas with his golden touch.

Soon the recipe

2 weeks of sourdough...still alive and kicking

The starter of this sourdough has been a teaspoon of honey (from Italy), 100gr of strong flour ( I use +allisons flour) and 100gr of water. That's what it takes.

This sourdough is very liquid and I think it's better to manage and less sour.
Every 48 hours, we need to feed the "baby" with flour and water:
- flour, same quantity of the weight of the previous dough
- water, 50% of the quantity of the previous dough

in other words, if the first dough is 200gr,
we will add 200gr flour and 100gr water.
After that, we will discard half of the new dough or it is not going to fit in the container very soon.
So, everytime we have to weigh to dough before feeding it.

The dough will start to rise after a few sessions of refreshment.
After one week I can say, it is working and I leave the baby in the fridge to avoid feeding it too often.
Let's say we refresh the dough in the evening and we will use some of it the day after.
The sourdough will be very powerful and fit, ready to activate the proving process.

I have tried twice and the result is lovely.
The first one, flat and bubbly, because it proved longer than necessary; in fact, it developed lots of bubbles (carbon dioxide), but the dough collapsed in the end.

The second came out as it is meant to be.
Crunchy the outside, soft and delicately sour the inside.
Enough bubbles.

In general the sourdough bread lasts longer because the sour environment is not friendly with the bacteria.

Every person develops a sourdough very different from the others. There are a few reasons:

- quality of flour

- hardness of water

- temperature in the kitchen, or place where it is kept

- different sugary starter (it could be a piece of fruit, honey, even sugar!)

like the one below...

Very soon I'll pin some sourdough bread up 

Ciao!

Pane Toscano: first of a new series of recipes from Tuscany

This is the first recipe of a series about dishes from Tuscany, my own land in Italy.
Coming from the Middle Ages, this is an unsalted bread for disputed reasons.
On those days the salt was expensive, mainly because of imposts of some kind,  and in the countryside the poor families could not afford such price.
Some others say that the salt was not easy to be found. I guess they might have both happened.

As in every country, you could find hundreds, thousands of different recipes about the same dish.
Personally I have 4 recipes coming from 4 different books, but I find the following satisfying my family.
As you will see at the end, being unsalted makes this bread very versatile and a perfect mach for savory or sweet matching. Surely this bread loves strong flavors.

I'm afraid, if you are not patient, you won't love this version.
It takes longer than 48 hours before getting into the oven.
Of course, you don't need to watching the dough proving every time.
This is an interesting part of the bread making. You don't need to attend the chemical reaction, even if, I have to say honestly, I peek every now and then so see what happens.

Hand kneading recipe
It gives 1kg loaf, more or less

First day

Melt 5gr of fresh yeast in 180gr tap water, then add up 300gr of strong white flour, trying to combine everything, but working out as least as possible, or you will activate too much the gluten, avoiding to burst the typical rich and sour smell. Cover with a wet cloth and keep it in a cupboard.
After 20-24 hours or so, this is what you will find, hopefully:

Second day

Mix up 50gr of water with the proven dough, then, when it is all well combined, like here below, add up 100gr of strong white flour, and knead briefly. Cover the bowl and wait up 20-24 more hours.

During this process we have been feeding up the yeast, fungi, small microorganisms that convert the carbohydrates in the flour to carbon dioxide (which is way the dough grows in size) and alcohols (that is way we smell ethanol which, btw, evaporates in the oven). 

Third day

Melt 2gr of fresh yeast ( just a small amount to keep the dough going for a short time), in 150gr water.

Then mix up 250gr of strong white flour. Try to work out at least as possible.

If the dough is sticky, dust your hands with flour, then make a long loaf and fold it ( this move gives the dough some more strength). Dust generously the dough with flour and wrap it up in a kitchen towel.

Wait for, at least 90 minutes. You will see the dough growing and full of cracks and stretch marks on the top.

Dust a baking tray and turn on the oven 220 C.

After 15 minutes, more or less the time for the oven to reach the temperature, move the dough from the towel to the tray, making sure it does not loose the shape.

15 minutes at 220C

25 minutes at 185C

15 minutes at 185C on a rack in the oven, so the bottom will cook up properly.

This is the masterpiece result 

It goes well with this, perfect for a wholesome breakfast

and this

and this, Crostini neri toscani, made of chicken liver

and anything else with strong flavor, such as Parma Ham and pickles.

Buon appetito!!

Bolognese Sauce - slowcooking by Gennaro Cataldo

Jamie Oliver's mentor, Gennaro Cataldo here recalls memories of his childhood, while living on the Amalfi coast, telling stories about his mother wholesome slow cooking. 

50/50 Wholegrain/Strong flour Focaccia with Prosciutto

It only takes less than three hours to have this focaccia warm ready on your table.
From ingredients mixing to halving and filling the focaccia with fresh cut Prosciutto.
It does not really take a lot. Just proving, proving and wholesome ingredients

90 minutes 1st proving in a bowl
30 minutes 2nd proving on a tray

30 minutes in the oven


Same ingredients as the Focaccia
with the only difference in the flour:
350gr strong white flour and
150gr wholegrain flour

abundant olive oil, sea salt and rosemary on top and prosciutto between the two layers.

Have it warm!!