It is yes a long process, sometimes you will feel like giving up but, the results you will achieve from your hard job it will be your big pride and happiness when starting another baking recipe.
The Italian Sourdough and the normal Sourdough are a bit different one to another; by eye, you can see Italian Sourdough is more solid than the other Sourdough, as this last one will have higher hydration (more water). By the nose, the normal Sourdough has fewer acid notes, so a sweeter end than the Italian Sourdough. The effort to start the both of them are quite the same (not when it comes to refreshing it) but my experiences with either, makes me choose the Italian Sourdough as the best for me.
What do you need?
To set up your starter, you are going to need: a glass jar with a lid, a scale, mixing bowl, unbleached flour, chlorine-free water (bottled or filtered) and unrefined sugar or honey to help the yeast activate. An airtight glass jar is the best option to keep safe your Italian Sourdough, better with a wide top so you can stick your hand in. See what I use.
Which flour you can use?
This is a nice question with many different answers, but I will only say that it is up to you, as you can do the starter with most of the flour, depending on the final result you would like to have.
In my past Italian Sourdough recipes, I used to use all-purpose flour, plain flour (farina 00 or 0) and wholemeal flour, all of them for different starters, of course. After many trials I decided to use a less refined flour (strong wholemeal flour) to achieve a healthier and tastier recipe; with the help of a refined one use it only to strengthen the wholemeal flour at the beginning (Canadian or Manitoba flour).
Why I started an Italian Sourdough at first?
If there is a reason why I often fail diet it is because of bread (and other bakery products). The love I have for the bread it is something really strong that I can help staying away from it for longer then 2 days. I love it for breakfast with some peanut batter and jam or with avocado, during lunch with my salad and for dinner to eat my lentils. – I don’t eat it with all my meal, I swear. –
I’m not sure when this love started, I believed when I was very young. As I remember my grandmothers making the bread dough and, from the village she was taking it to the little farm 15 minutes drive, only to cook it in the wood oven for the best result. And the smell, if I close my eyes it just fells like I’m there waiting the bread to be ready so I can eat some.
So after many years of watching and studying my mother doing this Sourdough for years I decided, once left Italy, to start my little Sourdough. I have done some of them, not only because I forgot to feed them or to experiment others flour, but as well because since 2014 I lived in different country and it was difficult to take it with me (which is sad). After diffrents try I can say this is the recipes with the flour I like the most and so I am ready to share with you. Make sure you have everything you need to start the Italian Sourdough starter with this post.
The flours I decided to use for this Sourdough are the “strong wholemeal flour” from Doves Farm and the “100% canadian flour (Manitoba)” from Marriage’s the Master Millers.
day 1
In a mixing bowl melt a teaspoon of unrefined sugar (I used dark brown sugar) in 50 grams of filtered water (if you use tap water make to boil it and cool before using, that helps release the chlorine), slowly add 70 grams of the Strong Wholemeal flour and 30 grams of Manitoba flour and mix it until become a non stick dough ball. Cross the dough and put it in a clean and dry glass jar, pleace the lid but don’t seal it.
Store the jar in a dry and warm area of the house, should be kept at room temperature, best is beetwen 20°-27°c. -This is for all the starting process, after few weeks can be store in the fridge and will need less refreshing, don’t worry.- You can leave it now for 48 hours before the next step.
day 3
After the 2 days resting the dough will be soggy and airy with some bubbles, this means the yeast are starting to eat the sugar. Remove the upper dough, trow it away and weight only 100 grams of the fresher bottom dough. Add to the 100 grams of dough, half the amount in water, so 50 grams and the same amount of the dough in flours, so 70 grams of strong Wholemeal and 30 grams Manitoba flour.
The best way to mix everything is by first melt the dough into the water and then slowly add the flour in making a soft and smooth dough to be kept again in the clean, washed only with warm water and dry glass jar (do not seal the lid on).
day 5
The 48h rest has let your, Italian Sourdough starter, increase in volume and feed the little amount of active yeast. The process will be the same as day 3, so taking out the dries top dough, feed the 100 grams, with 50 grams filtered, bottled or boiled water, 70 grams Wholemeal flour and 30 grams Canadian flour. After combining well the ingredients you can store the dough, by crossing it, in the clean and dry jar, from now on by sealing the lid.
day 6
From this day if you see your dough is full in volume and ready to develop more you can avoid to use the Manitoba, (as we only use it to help the Wholemeal flour to get stronger and to speed up the rising process) in case your dough still seems weak keep going with the 70/30 grams. In case you decide not to use anymore the Manitoba flour your follow “feeding” method will be the same as the rest ;but the flour you will add, are 100 grams (same weight of the dough) of the strong Wholemeal flour and 50 grams of water. The dough is then store in a clean and dry glass jar at room temperature.
the following week
After 24 hours you can refresh you Italian Sourdough starter until is ready, this whole process can take one extra week, where once a day, you will need to feed it. Take out the top part and trow it away, weight 100 grams, add 50 grams of filtered water and 100 grams of strong wholemeal flour, make a smooth dough and store it in the jar at room temperature. After this week you will see you dough got stronger and the “bubbles” formed are bigger and more then days before. The smell can be quite strong, but be carefull if is very acid smell, there something wrong. Don’t worry if you follow all these steps this won’t happen.
day 14
On this day your Italian Sourdough will be more then ready to be used and to be stored in the fridge. Before move the jar in the fridge make sure you feed it once more, the same way as always. Once in the fridge this can be feed once to twice a week, depending on your baking plans.
Why is better then fresh and dry yeast?
This Italian Sourdough recipe together with the normal Sourdough are two better alternative then the ready to use yeast; if you are looking for quality, intense flavor, best aroma, a longer shelf life and a product easy to digest, this recipe is for you.
What to do when is ready?
Once the starter is ready to use, of course you should start baking and feel in love with it. Now the sourdough can be stored in the fridge and it will need to be feed once to twice a week (best is every 5 days), if your plan is to bake once a week; if the plan is to bake more often, then you can keep it outside but you need to feed it every day with the same process and quantity as usual.
Important to remember: when you take the sourdough from the fridge wait couple of hours, or till it reach a room temperature, and then feed it by eliminate the top layer and weight out as much as you want to keep of dough, add half weight of water and same amount for the flour. So 100gr dough, 50gr filtered water and 100g flour. When the dough is smooth and back in the clean and dry glass jar, seal the lid and wait an hour then place it back in the fridge.
How to bake with the Sourdough?
Once you find the baking recipe you are ready to go. Make sure you refresh, as always, your italian sourdough starter once to twice during the day (depending on the recipe and how long you kept it in the refrigerator). Store in the fridge, as usual, what is not needed it for the recipe; and wait a couple of hour more to activate the amount you kept at room temperature for the recipe.
Little tips:
-If you have already an active sourdough starter you can use it to convert some into the Italian Sourdough starter only in few days.
-You can make the italian sourdough stronger by doing more refreshing every 12 hours
-The Italian Sourdough is not only for bread, pizza or focaccia; it can be used for sweet bakery recipe such as brioches, cinnamon rolls and the traditional Italian Panettone.
If you starting your sourdough today and you need some extra tips do not hesitate to ask me in the comment or send me an email. I believe you will love the results after your effort and you will think, “Oh yes, that was a well spent time”, biting yet another piece of bread.
Enjoy it!
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