Sourdough: recipe and preparation
Currently rediscovered by bakers in search of traditional flavors, the use of sourdough is essential in the preparation of desserts such as panettone, colomba pasquale and pandoro and for particular types of bread including, for example, the Altamura bread, the Lentini bread. and the Black Bread of Castelvetrano, which foreseeing the exclusive use of mother yeast and fall within the category of Slow Food Presidia.
Sourdough: why use it
The use of sourdough, which has recently come back into vogue due to greater attention to the "natural", compared to the "use of common brewer's yeast, has advantages related to the shelf life and nutritional profile of the resulting product.
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The sourdough, which can be presented in liquid or solid form, is above all more durable and stable due to the marked acidity which inhibits the development of molds, the enzymatic action (pullulanase) which slows down the re-aggregation of starches (stale) and production of hexapolisaccharides (dextran, levano etc.) by some lactic bacteria.
From a nutritional point of view, it should be emphasized that the use of sourdough leads to greater digestibility due to long fermentation and bacterial action, a reduction in the glycemic index and a lower sensitivity to certain substances (gluten, yeast).
To prepare the sourdough there are different schools of thought and on the net there are many ways to do it. For example, you can make the mother yeast with only water and flour and let it ferment or you can help this process by adding some sugars.
The basic ingredients used are fundamental: water and flour.
It is necessary to use a water that is not too hard or too little and, if possible, not chlorinated. Since it is always difficult to know the hardness of our water, the best thing is to take tap water to boil it, wait for the water to settle. limestones, and then let it rest at room temperature.
Another important element is the flour, which must be "strong", that is, coming from cereals that have a high protein content and preferably organic. The ideal would be freshly ground flour, but not all of us have a mill near the house, right?
As we have said, the recipes for preparing sourdough are many and often different from each other. We, in case you want to try your hand and get "your hands in the dough", we propose this, quick and simple.
Mix 100 grams of flour and 100 grams of water, knead them quickly and put the mixture to rest for a whole night in a glass or ceramic dish then covered with an inverted bowl, also made of glass or ceramic, larger than the dough. , so as to let it breathe.
The next day, add a little more water and flour and place in a warm place. Continue with this step until the sourdough takes on a slightly sour smell and at the same time will have a white and soft appearance.
At the time of use, take the part of sour dough necessary for your preparation (bread, cakes or other) and refresh the leftover part by adding a couple of tablespoons of flour and one of water.
