Pane Casalingo is homemade bread. The bread that I make is sourdough, mostly because we like it, but it has a lower glycemic index than regular white bread. I also use a high gluten bread flour which amps up the protein content to help balance the macronutrients. Sourdough is made with a starter or “biga”. These can be anywhere from a thin pancake batter consistency to a hunk of the end product bread dough. The one I have the most success at maintaining is the consistency of biscuit dough. I can keep it on my counter for several days between feeding, though I rarely go that long between batches. If I leave for a few days I can always stick it in the refrigerator and bring it out to revive it when I get home. If you don’t have a proper crock you can use a wide-mouth mason jar, just don’t tighten the lid or you may have a homemade bomb on your hands!
Starter:
Combine the three ingredients in a jar or bowl. Cover with a towel to allow wild yeast to infiltrate. I like glass so I can watch its progress until I have a real colony going. Your starter will be unique to your area as a result of the indigenous yeast as well as the species present in the flour you choose. Think pizza in NYC or sourdough in SF. For this reason, I don’t recommend purchasing a starter from another area, but it’s better than not trying as the indigenous yeast will eventually take over anyway.
You will get used to what your biga needs by looking at it and smelling it. It should be yeasty and pleasant, not over sour when you use it. If you aren’t sure you can drop some in water. If it’s “ripe” it will float. Your starter will thin as it ferments as the by-products of fermentation are alcohol and CO2. This is why you don’t want it to be sealed down. I can feed mine and have it ready in 8 hours through 24 hours, this is ideal as it will be that much riper. Sometimes I just need it sooner! If you know you may not use it in 24-48 hours you can just feed it a small amount and a couple of days later feed it a small amount again vs placing it in the refrigerator. There is no recipe for feeding your starter because it may need more flour or more water depending on its stage of fermentation. Just go for the proper consistency.
Bread Dough:
Once you have determined that your biga is ready we begin. I use a KitchenAid mixer with the bread hook attached. Start with the flour measured into the bowl of the mixer and add the instant yeast to it, combine. If you mistakenly bought the non-instant yeast, just bloom it in your water that has been measured out. Add the starter
to the measuring cup with the water to bring it up to the desired measurement. Slowly add the liquids to the bowl with the hook moving. Continue kneading just until the dough ball begins to form and the ingredients are combined. Shut off the mixer and let the dough rest for 20-30 minutes.
This is called autolyze and it allows the yeast to get a start before the salt is added. In this phase, the liquid will fully hydrate the flour and you won’t make the mistake of over or under flouring the dough. Add the salt and olive oil to the bowl and continue kneading. Adjust the flour slowly if it needs it. The dough should just pull away from the bowl. It should be soft enough that you need flour or oil on your hands to handle it. After about 5 minutes of kneading, you will notice a distinct change in the appearance of the dough. It will look very smooth and elastic. This indicates that the gluten strands have developed giving your dough what it needs to rise correctly.
Prepare your glass bowl or dough bucket with a thin coat of oil and add your dough ball. If you don’t think you can eyeball it, mark the bowl where your dough ball starts. Cover your bowl and place it in a warm area, let it rise for 30 minutes. Come back with a dough scraper and start turning the sides to the center. Workaround the 360 degrees of the bowl making at least 8 pulls of the dough. Cover it back up and leave it to rest and rise for 30 more minutes. Repeat the process pulling sides to the center and returning to rise. This time let it rise until it has doubled its original dough ball from your marking. This should be 45-60 more minutes. Preheat your oven with stone on the bottom to 450 degrees.
Lightly flour your surface before turning the dough onto it. Press out the larger pockets of air and square your dough out. Divide into two down the middle. Turn down the left corner then the right corner. Next, pull down from the center top pressing as you go. Now turn down the folds and press finally turning toward you and seal. Put the seam side down and place on couche or linen towels. Use folds of couche to cover the dough or cover towels with more towels to prevent a crust from forming. Allow the bread to rise until a light prodding fails to bounce back, 30-40 minutes.
Using a bread flipping board or flexible cutting board, gently roll the loaf onto the board then roll them one at a time onto parchment paper. Using a lame or a sharp paring knife score the loaves to allow the bread to spring in the oven. Using a pizza peel, transfer the loaves with parchment to the stone. Spray with plain water 5-6 times then shut the oven quickly and keep it shut. Loaves should register an internal temperature of 205 degrees when completely cooked. The color will be a deep caramel. Cool completely before cutting to avoid collapse.
Recipe by Elizabeth from RXHealthyHabits.
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