Tag Archives: Sourdough

Pandoro Recipe With Sourdough (Il Pandoro A Lievitazione Naturale)

Pandoro is a wonderful Christmas cake from Verona. The recipe I am publishing today is very similar to the traditional recipe, however I made some variations in order to use sourdough. In this recipe there is a very long preparation method with several leavening phases, but the most difficult part is when you have to combine the butter with the dough (see step 5). Having said that, it is one of the best plain cakes that I have ever eaten! A quiet day, during the holiday is probably the best time to prepare this cake.

I wish you all a wonderful Christmas and an amazing New Year ❤

Pandoro with sourdough (Italian Traditional Christmas cake)

For 10 servings

Ingredients

440 g sifted manitoba flour (add more if needed), or a strong, highly-refined white bread flour

50 g sourdough

250 g soft butter (keep the butter at room temperature)

a little vanilla extract

2 eggs

4 egg yolks

140 g sugar (+ icing sugar )

water

Notes. You need a large Pandoro mould ( 1 kg capacity), but you can find it easily on Amazon. Use a good dough mixer if you have one, it will make your life a lot easier!

Method.

Day 1.

1. Making the starter. In the evening, prepare the starter with 50 g of yeast with 50 g of flour with a tablespoon of sugar and enough water to make a soft dough. Cover with some cling film and let rise overnight.

Day 2.

1. First leavening. First thing in the morning, mix the starter with 80 g of flour, a tablespoon of sugar and enough water to make a soft dough. Let rise until the dough has doubled in volume.

2. Second leavening. Mix the dough with 80 g of flour, a tablespoon of sugar and a little water. Make a soft dough and let rise until it doubles in volume.

3. Third leavening. In a large bowl whisk the remaining sugar with a little vanilla extract, 2 whole eggs and 4 egg yolks. Then add 30 g of soft butter and 230 g sifted flour (add the flour gradually). Mix well. Now combine the mixture with the dough and knead very well. Add a little bit of flour if needed and let rise until the dough has doubled in volume.

4. Working the dough (during this operation dust with plenty of flour the rolling pin and the working surface). Take the dough and roll it out with a rolling pin to make a thick rectangular sheet (without pressing too much). Cut the remaining butter into small pieces and place it in the centre of the dough, then fold the sheet of dough to cover the butter. Roll the dough using a rolling pin and fold it again. Roll once more and place the dough in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.
Take the dough, roll it out and fold it three times, then roll it again and place it in the fridge for another 15-20 minutes. Now knead the dough for a few minutes and place it in the Pandoro mould (previously buttered).

5. Fourth leavening. Let rise until the dough reaches the edge of the mould (this will take from 5-6 hours).

6. Baking. Bake the Pandoro at 180 ° C (356° F) for fifteen minutes, then change the temperature to 160 ° C (320°F) and bake for another 30 minutes. When the Pandoro is ready place it on a rack to cool. Dust with plenty of icing sugar before serving.

Pandoro (con lievito madre)

Per 10 persone (con stampo da 1 kg)

Ingredienti

440 g di farina manitoba setacciata (e un po’ di più da aggiungere nelle ultime fasi della ricetta)

50 g di lievito madre

250 g di burro morbido (a temperatura ambiente)

qualche goccia di estratto di vaniglia (o una busta di vanillina)

2 uova

4 tuorli d’uovo

140 g di zucchero (+ lo zucchero a velo)

acqua q. b.

Nota. E’ meglio utilizzare una planetaria per facilitare la lavorazione dell’impasto.

Preparazione.

Il primo giorno.

1. Il lievitino. La sera prima preparate il lievitino unendo 50 g di lievito madre con 50 g di farina, un cucchiaio di zucchero e acqua sufficiente per ottenere un impasto morbido. Coprite con un po’ di pellicola trasparente e lasciate lievitare per tutta la notte.

il secondo giorno.

1. Prima lievitazione. Al mattino, mescolate la pasta lievitata con 80 g di farina, un cucchiaio di zucchero e abbastanza acqua per ottenere un impasto morbido. Poi lasciare lievitare fino a quando la pasta sarà raddoppiata di volume.

2. Seconda lievitazione. Prendete la pasta lievitata e aggiungete 80 g di farina, un cucchiaio di zucchero e un po’ d’acqua. Lavorate gli ingredienti fino ad ottenere un impasto liscio e morbido. Fate lievitare fin quando l’impasto sarà raddoppiato di volume.

3. Terza lievitazione. In una terrina, amalgamate lo zucchero rimasto, con 2 uova intere, 4 tuorli d’uovo e qualche goccia di estratto di vaniglia (o una busta di vanillina). Quindi aggiungete 30 g di burro morbido e 230 g di farina setacciata (da aggiungere gradualmente). Mescolate bene, poi unite la pasta lievitata al composto. Impastate bene, aggiungendo un po’ di farina (se necessario) e poi lasciate lievitare.

4. Lavorazione impasto sfogliato (durante questa operazione infarinate bene il matterello e il piano di lavoro). Prendete la pasta lievitata e stendetela con il matterello per ottenere una sfoglia rettangolare e spessa (senza fare troppa pressione). Tagliate il burro rimasto a pezzetti e mettetelo al centro della pasta, quindi ripiegate la pasta per coprire il burro. Stendete la pasta con il matterello e ripiegatela in tre, poi stendetela ancora e mettetela nel frigorifero per 15-20 minuti.
Passato il tempo necessario prendete la pasta, stendetela con il matterello e piegatela in tre; poi stendetela ancora e riponetela nel frigorifero per altri 15-20 minuti. Una volta rassodata, lavorate la pasta per qualche minuto e mettetela nello stampo (precedentemente imburrato).

5. Quarta lievitazione. Lasciate lievitare finché la pasta raggiunge il bordo dello stampo (ci vorranno 5-6 ore).

6. La cottura. Cuocete il Pandoro a 180 ° C per il primo quarto d’ora, poi abbassate la temperatura a 160 ° C e cuocete per altri 30 minuti. A cottura terminata, togliete il Pandoro dallo stampo e mettetelo su una griglia a raffreddare. Spolverate con abbondante zucchero a velo prima di servire.

Light Wholemeal Spelt Brioches

July 26, 2014Bread & Buns, High-fibre Food, How to, Sourdough, VegetarianBread, Breakfast, Brioches, Cornetti, Croissants, Italian, Recipe, Snack, Sourdough, Spelt flour, Whole grainSerena @ foodfulife

Brioche and cappuccino are, without a doubt, Italians’ favourite breakfast! Yes, our ideal breakfast would be a brioche filled with plenty of custard and a nice warm cappuccino, topped with a lot of cocoa powder! It’s not something we would have every day (even though some people might do) but it’s something we’d treat ourself with during weekends and special occasions. Sometimes waking up to a warm brioche and a cappuccino is a really nice way to start the day in full swing!

Since I started this blog, I have always wanted to try and make my own brioches, but for one reason or another I kept on postponing it…Last week I finally gave it a go and here is my brioche recipe! I have to say, I thought it was going to be much more complicated! The method is not too difficult if you follow all the steps of the recipe, it just takes some time and care. You can prepare your brioches in your spare time and store them in the freezer, where they will last up to a month. They are very nice when you warm them up in the morning!

Italian brioches have a similar shape to croissants but the dough is sweeter and softer. This recipe is quite light, it has some fibres and it’s not too sweet, so you can fill the brioches with whatever you like, if you wish.

Wholemeal Spelt Brioches (sourdough recipe).

Medium difficulty

Ingredients

For 2 trays (approximately 12-14 brioches)

For the starter

100 g (3.5 oz) manitoba flour

50 g (1.7 oz) semisolid sourdough (made with manitoba flour, or plain flour)

water

For the dough

150 g (5.29 oz) manitoba flour

100 g (3.5 oz) plain flour

100 g (3.5 oz) wholemeal spelt flour

100 ml (3.38 us fl oz) milk (at room temperature)

2 egg (1 egg for the dough and 1egg to brush on top of the brioches)

1 egg yolk

60 g (2.1 oz) butter, softened

a pinch of salt

50 g (1.7 oz) brown sugar

1 teaspoon of honey

2 drops of vanilla extract

a little bit of grated lemon zest (use an organic lemon)

icing sugar

Method.

1. Prepare the sourdough starter the night before and let it rise overnight at room temperature. Mix 100 g manitoba flour with 50 g of sourdough and enough water to get a smooth and moist dough. Cover it with cling film and let it rise for 12 hours.

2. The next morning, mix the rest of the flour with the starter, then add 1 egg, the egg yolk, the brown sugar, a few drops of vanilla extract, a little bit of grated lemon zest and honey. Mix well. Add the butter and a pinch of salt. Knead well, adding a little ‘flour if necessary.

3. Allow the dough to rise until it doubles in volume (it will take a few hours).

4. When risen, gently roll out the dough using a rolling pin. Then divide the sheet of dough into 2 and cut a few triangles (see the picture).

5. Roll each triangle and shape the brioches like small croissants. Then place them on 2 baking sheets greased with butter and dusted with flour. Brush your brioches with a beaten egg (or milk).

6. Bake at 200 ° C (392° F) for about 20 minutes with steam (you can do that by putting a small pan filled with boiling water in the oven; while the brioches are cooking the water will release steam and the brioches will remain soft inside). Let cool and dust with icing sugar.

Brioches semi-integrali di farro (con lievito madre).

media difficoltà

Ingredienti

Per 2 teglie (circa 12-14 brioches)

Panetto di lievito o biga

100 g di farina manitoba

50 g di lievito madre semisolido (con base di farina manitoba o farina 00)

acqua q. b.

Per l’impasto

150 g di farina manitoba

100 g di farina 00

100 g di farina integrale di farro

100 ml di latte a temperatura ambiente

2 uova (1 uovo servirà per lucidare le brioches)

1 tuorlo

60 g di burro ammorbidito

un pizzico di sale

50 g di zucchero integrale di canna

1 cucchiaino di miele

2 gocce di estratto di vaniglia

un po’ di buccia grattugiata di un limone biologico

zucchero a velo q. b.

Preparazione.

1. Preparate il panetto di lievito la sera prima e lasciate lievitare tutta la notte a temperatura ambiente. Mescolate 100 g di farina manitoba e 50 g di lievito madre con un po’ d’acqua. Coprite con la pellicola e lasciate lievitare per 12 ore (a temperatura ambiente).

2. La mattina dopo mischiate le farine e aggiungete il panetto lievitato, un uovo intero, un tuorlo, 50 g di zucchero di canna, l’estratto di vaniglia, la buccia di limone e il miele. Amalgamate bene, poi aggiungete il burro e un pizzico di sale. Lavorate bene l’impasto, aggiungendo un po’ di farina se necessario.

3. Lasciate lievitare l’impasto fino a quando sarà raddoppiato di volume.

4. Dopo la lievitazione stendete l’impasto delicatamente con un matterello, poi dividetelo in due e tagliate dei triangoli.

5. Arrotolate le brioches e mettetele su due teglie imburrate e infarinate. Spennellate le brioches con dell’uovo sbattuto per lucidarle (potete anche usare del latte al posto dell’uovo).

6. Cuocete a 200 °C per circa 20 minuti con del vapore (cioè mettete nel forno anche un pentolino di metallo colmo d’acqua bollente; con questo metodo le brioches resteranno morbide dentro e non si asciugheranno). Lasciate raffreddare e spolverate con zucchero a velo.

Traditional Recipe: Focaccia Alla Genovese (Genoese Focaccia Bread)

July 11, 2014Bread & Buns, How to, Sourdough, Traditional Recipes, VegetarianBarley malt, Bread, Flour, Food, Home-made, How to, Italian, Recipe, SourdoughSerena @ foodfulife

Shiny and crunchy on the outside, soft and moist on the inside, only genoese focaccia has certain qualities which, all together, define one of the best focaccias you can ever taste. Focaccia alla genovese has a distinctive olive oil taste and it requires a long leavening time in order to be so soft and delicious. Apparently, you can only taste the real thing in Genoa and this might depend on several factors (the ingredients, the humidity in the air, the water and, last but not least, the old traditional recipe).

Today I am going to give you two recipes that you can use to make an amazing focaccia, either with normal yeast or sourdough. In the second recipe, the recipe with normal yeast, I reduced the leavening time to make it more manageable, but, of course, if you let it rise for longer it will get softer and the result will be much better.

Focaccia Alla Genovese (with sourdough).

Ingredients

350 g (12.3 oz) plain flour

6-7 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

100 g (3.52 oz) semiliquid sourdough (you can replace the sourdough with 20 g of yeast)

8 g (0.28 oz) ground sea salt

a pinch of barley malt

water

Method.

1. In a bowl, make a starter by mixing 150 g (5.29 oz) flour with 100 g (3.52 oz) of semiliquid sourdough, a little bit of water, a pinch of barley malt. Mix everything, wrap the bowl with cling film and let rise overnight (at room temperature).

2. Mix the starter with the rest of the flour, some water, some salt and a tablespoon of olive oil. Knead vigorously until you get a smooth dough (make a moist dough).

3. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let rise for, at least, 3 hours. After 3 hours, knead again for a few minutes then let rise for another 3 hours (actually until the dough doubles in volume).

4. Gently roll out the dough on a baking sheet, previously greased with 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Make some wells by pressing with your fingers in the dough.

5. Let rise for 2 hours, then brush with plenty extra virgin olive oil mixed with a little bit of water and bake at 190° C (374° F) for about 30 minutes.

6. Remove from the oven, brush with more olive oil (add water if the dough is too dry), then season with salt and serve.

Focaccia bread (quicker recipe with yeast).

ingredients

350 g (12.3 oz) plain flour

6-7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

20 g (0.70 oz) yeast

7 g (0.24 oz) ground sea salt

a pinch of barley malt

some water

Method.

1. In a bowl, combine the yeast with 3 tablespoons of warm water, a pinch of barley malt and 4 tablespoons of flour. Mix well, cover with cling film and let it rise for 1 hour.

2. Mix the yeast with the rest of the flour, a tablespoon of olive oil, some water and a little bit of salt. Knead well until dough is smooth.

3. Allow to rise for 1-2 hours, then roll out the dough with a rolling pin (without pressing too much).

4. Let rise again for 30 minutes, then make some wells in the surface of the dough, by pressing with your fingers. Brush with plenty of extra virgin olive oil mixed with some water and bake at 190° C (374° F) for about 30 minutes.

5. Remove from the oven, brush with more olive oil (add water if the dough is too dry), then season with the rest of the salt and serve.

Focaccia Alla Genovese (con lievito madre).

Ingredienti

350 g di farina 00

6-7 cucchiai d’olio extra vergine d’oliva

100 g di lievito madre semiliquido

8 g di sale marino macinato

malto d’orzo

acqua q. b.

Preparazione.

1. In una ciotola, mischiate 150 g di farina con 100 g di lievito madre, un po’ d’acqua e pochissimo malto d’orzo. Mescolate energicamente, poi sigillate con la pellicola e lasciate lievitare per tutta la notte (a temperatura ambiente).

2. Unite al lievito il resto della farina, poi aggiungete un pizzico di sale, poca acqua e un cucchiaio d’olio. Lavorate energicamente fino ad ottenere un impasto omogeneo (l’impasto deve essere anche umido).

3. Coprite con un panno umido e fate lievitare per almeno 3 ore. Raggiunta la prima lievitazione, impastate ancora per qualche minuto e lasciate lievitare finché l’impasto sarà raddoppiato di volume.

4. Stendete delicatamente l’impasto su una teglia (unta abbondantemente).

5. Create dei piccoli crateri con le dita e spennellate l’impasto con acqua e olio. Fate lievitare per altre 2 ore, poi infornate a 190° C per circa 30 minuti.

6. Spennellate ancora con olio abbondante (aggiungete un po’ d’acqua se la focaccia è troppo secca), salate e servite.

Focaccia (preparazione veloce).

Ingredienti

350 g di farina 00

6-7 cucchiai di olio extra vergine d’oliva

20 g di lievito di birra

7 g di sale marino macinato

malto d’orzo

acqua q. b.

Preparazione.

1. In una ciotola, mischiate il lievito con 3 cucchiai di acqua tiepida, pochissimo malto d’orzo e 4 cucchiai di farina. Mescolate bene, ricoprite con la pellicola e lasciate lievitare per 1 ora.

2. Unite l’impasto con il lievito al resto della farina, poi aggiungete un cucchiaio d’olio, un po’ d’acqua e un po’ di sale. Mescolate bene, fino ad ottenere un impasto liscio.

3. Lasciate lievitare per 1-2 ore, poi stendete l’impasto con il matterello (senza schiacciarlo troppo) e formate dei piccoli crateri con la punta delle dita.

4. Fate lievitare ancora per 30 minuti, poi spennellate con abbondante olio d’oliva mischiato ad acqua. Infornate a 190° per circa 30 minuti.

5. Sfornate la focaccia e spennellate con olio abbondante (aggiungete un po’ d’ acqua se è secca). Salate con il sale rimasto e servite.

Mixed Seed Wholemeal Bread Recipe (High-Fibre Food)

May 30, 2014Bread & Buns, Dairy-free, High-fibre Food, Sourdough, Vegan, VegetarianBread, Dairy-free, Fennel seeds, Flax seeds, High in fibre, Home-made, Pescetarian, Recipe, Sesame seeds, Sourdough, Soy-free, Vegan, Vegetarian, Whole grains, whole wheat, WholemealSerena @ foodfulife

A delicious loaf of bread with a lot of tasty seeds inside! This is a great breakfast or sandwich bread,very tasty, crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle. I actually served it with a nice salad and I really enjoyed it!

You can prepare the dough in the evening and keep it in the fridge with a few tablespoons of water, it will rise slowly through the night. The day after you have to take it out of the fridge a couple of hours before you bake it.

Mixed Seed Wholemeal Bread.

150 g (5.2 oz) plain flour / unbleached all-purpose flour

100 g (3.5 oz) of durum wheat semolina flour

100 g (3.5 oz) whole spelt flour

100 g (3.5 oz) of wholemeal flour

135 g (4.76 oz) of sourdough (semi-liquid, made with plain or Manitoba flour) or 15 g of yeast

1/2 tsp of barley malt

1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and some more to grease the tin

8 g (0.28 oz) of ground sea salt

1 tablespoon of flax seeds

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1/2 tablespoon of fennel seeds

Method.

1. Toast the seeds in a very hot oven for about 5 minutes (at 200°C/392 °F).

2. Sift and mix the flours. Add the seeds, the sourdough (or yeast), 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, the barley malt and the salt. Mix everything well until you have a smooth dough.

3. Let the dough rise until it doubles in volume (1-2 hours for the yeast, 3-6 hours for the sourdough).

4. Bake in a loaf tin ( 3.9 inches x 10.2 inches), lightly greased with extra virgin olive oil, at 200 ° C (392°F) for 25-30 minutes. Let cool and then serve with a nice salad.

Pane integrale ai semi.

150 g di farina 00

100 g di semola di grano duro

100 g di farina integrale di farro

100 g di farina integrale

135 g di lievito madre (semi liquido, con base di farina 00 o manitoba)
oppure 15 g di lievito di birra

1/2 cucchiaio di malto d’orzo

1 cucchiaio d’olio extra vergine d’oliva per l’impasto e un po’ di più per ungere la teglia

1 cucchiaio di semi di lino

1 cucchiaio di semi di sesamo

1 cucchiaio di semi di papavero

1/2 cucchiaio di semi di finocchio

Preparazione.

1. Fate tostare i semi per qualche minuto nel forno a 200°C, oppure in una padella.

2. Setacciate e unite le farine. Aggiungete i semi, il lievito, 1 cucchiaio d’olio extra vergine d’oliva, il malto d’orzo e il sale.

3. Fate lievitare fino a far raddoppiare l’impasto di volume (1-2 ore per il lievito di birra, 3-6 ore per il lievito madre).

4. Infornate a 200 °C per 25-30 minuti (ho usato una teglia profonda 10 cm x 26 cm). Fate raffreddare e servite con una buona insalata.

Spelt Bread With Home-made Hummus

Today’s brunch was a lovely spelt bread (made following this sourdough pizza base recipe) with home-made hummus. Yummy!!!!

Make The Best Pizza Dough ( Part 2)

April 30, 2014How to, Main Dishes, Pizza, VegetarianCheese pizza, Crescenza, Flour, Healthy, Home-made, How to, Italian, Lievito madre, Mozzarella, Sourdough, Sourdough recipe, Spelt flour, Step by step, Tutorial, Vegetarian, whole wheat, WholemealSerena @ foodfulife

I already published a basic pizza dough recipe with normal yeast a few weeks ago, this is basically the same recipe adapted for sourdough. Before getting started with the recipe, let me say a few things about sourdough.

Why sourdough?
Sourdough is a natural yeast created by fermenting flour with water. It is a long process, which is not particularly complicated, but it takes some time and care.
Basically, you create the natural yeast, then you feed it and keep it in good shape, that’s really all there is to it! In exchange, your sourdough will reward you with a lot of flavour, leavening strength and satisfaction!
Moreover, sourdough is healthier and much more digestible than commonly used yeast. Another good reason to use it is the difference in taste, as sourdough’s flavour is much more delicate and pleasant than all the other yeasts.
So, don’t give up if you haven’t tried yet, instead give it a go and you’ll see the difference, I promise you!
To get started with sourdough you can follow the step by step recipe here.

Some things you have to know before you go on with the recipe:

1. The flour-sourdough ratio in recipes is usually 3 to 1 (3 parts of flour plus 1 part of sourdough). In order to prepare approximately 500 g of dough we will use 375 g of flour with 125 g of sourdough. You can use this recipe to make sourdough bread as well as pizza.

2. Semi-liquid sourdough contains a lot of water, therefore you have to add less water than in normal yeast pizza and bread recipes. My advice is to add a little bit of water gradually.

3. Sometimes it’s useful to make the dough in the evening and then keep it in the fridge with some extra water over night. The following day, take it out of the fridge two hours before you use it (knead the dough a little, then make the pizzas and let them rise for a couples of hours at room temperate). During this process the dough will rise much better and faster.

Sourdough Pizza Crust.

Ingredients

For 2 large pizzas

Recipe No. 1

210 g flour 00 (or plain, unbleached all-purpuse flour)

135 g whole spelt flour

30 g durum wheat flour (semolina)

125 g sourdough (semi-liquid and made with manitoba flour)

10 g salt

a pinch of barley malt (optional)

extra virgin olive oil to taste

water

Note.

If you use the sourdough starter made from flour 00 (or plain, unbleached all-purpose flour) the ingredient ratio changes slightly:

Recipe No. 2

130 g flour 00 (or plain, unbleached all-purpuse flour)

135 g whole spelt flour

80 g Manitoba flour

30 g durum wheat flour (semolina)

125 g sourdough (semi-liquid and made with flour 00 of plain, unbleached all-purpuse flour)

10 g salt

a pinch of barley malt (optional)

extra virgin olive oil to taste

water

Method.

1. Sift and mix the flour on a wooden board or a large bowl (use a fine sieve). Mix the flour with the sourdough and a little bit of water. Add the salt and, if you want, you can also add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil with a pinch of malt.

2. knead vigorously, until you get an elastic dough. Let the dough rise in a sheltered place for 3-6 hours (the rising time varies depending on different factors, the dough is ready when it has doubled in volume).

3. Take two large oven trays, cover them with baking paper and brush them with plenty of extra virgin olive oil. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin, make two pizza bases and then add the other ingredients (I am going to make a pizza with mozzarella cheese and crescenza, a nice sweet and creamy Italian cheese)

4. Let the pizzas rise for about 1 hour, then bake in a preheated oven at 190° (374°F) for 20-30 minutes.

Impasto base per la pizza con lievito madre.

Ingredienti

2 pizze grandi

Ricetta n°1

210 g di farina 00

135 g di farina di farro integrale

30 g di semola rimacinata

125 g di lievito madre (semiliquido, a base di farina manitoba)

acqua q. b.

10 g di sale

pochissimo malto d’orzo (facoltativo)

olio extra vergine d’olio d’oliva q. b.

Nota.

Se usate il lievito madre a base di farina 00 gli ingredienti variano leggermente:

Ricetta n° 2

130 g di farina 00

135 g di farina di farro integrale

80 g di farina manitoba

125 g di lievito madre (semiliquido con base di farina 00)

30 g di semola rimacinata

10 g di sale

acqua q. b.

pochissimo malto d’orzo (facoltativo)

olio extra vergine d’olio d’oliva q. b.

Metodo.

1. Mescolate, setacciate le farine e sistematele a fontana su una spianatoia o mettetele in una ciotola grande. Unite il lievito madre alla farina con un po d’acqua. Mescolate leggermente, poi aggiungere il sale con cucchiai d’ olio extra vergine di oliva e un pizzico di malto, se desiderate aggiungerli.

2. Lavorate energicamente gli ingredienti, fino ad ottenere un impasto omogeneo ed elastico. Lasciate lievitare l’impasto in un luogo riparato per 3-6 ore (il tempo di lievitazione varia a seconda di diversi fattori, l’impasto è pronto quando sarà raddoppiato di volume).

3. Prendete due teglie grandi, ricopritele con carta da forno e spennellatele con abbondante olio extra vergine d’oliva. Stendete la pasta con un matterello e fate due basi per pizza, poi aggiungere gli altri ingredienti (in questo caso faremo una pizza bianca con crescenza e mozzarella).

4. Lasciate lievitare le pizze per circa 1 ora, poi fate cuocere a 190° C in forno preriscaldato per 20-30 minuti (dipende dallo spessore della pasta).

How To Make Sourdough (re-edited).

April 18, 2014Bread & Buns, Dairy-free, How to, Main Dishes, Sourdough, VegetarianBaking, Bread, Food, Food photography, Healthy, Home-made, How to, Lievito madre, Natural yeast, Photography, Recipe, Sourdough, Sourdough bread, Step by step, Vegetarian, YeastSerena @ foodfulife

What is sourdough?

Sourdough is a natural yeast, obtained by fermenting flour and water. It can have a solid or a liquid consistency, depending on the amount of water used to feed it. Liquid sourdough usually rises better.

I personally recommend the preparation and use of this great ingredient because it’s completely natural, therefore much healthier and more digestible than other yeasts. Sourdough can be used to make a variety of breads, pizzas, pies and cakes with surprising results. Moreover, it makes everything taste better!

Preparing the sourdough starter.

1. First you have to make a starter. Mix 1 cup of organic wholemeal flour (the wholemeal flour is necessary for the first feed) with 1/2 cup of cool water (use non-chlorinated water, you can mix tap water with still drinking water from a bottle).
Put the ingredients in a glass, stainless steel or a plastic container for food.

2. Stir all the ingredients together, until creamy and smooth, then cover the container with a damp cloth and let it sit for 24 hours.

3. After 24 hours remove the top half of the mixture, then feed the starter again with 1 cup of plain flour (you can use manitoba, whole spelt or wholemeal flour, if you prefer) and half a cup of water. Stir well, cover with a damp cloth and let it sit for another 24 hours.

4. Now you can start feeding the starter every two days. Repeat this process for about 10 days.

5. After 10 days, you can start feeding your sourdough every 4-5 days and you can use it for your recipes.

Store the sourdough.

1. Store the sourdough in a glass jar and keep it in the fridge (with the lid on).

2. Each time you feed the sourdough let it sit for 1-2 hours at room temperature in a glass jar covered with a damp cloth (with no lid on). Then remove the cloth, close the container and put it back in the refrigerator.

Doses.

1. Feed the sourdough the day before you use it (12 hours before). To feed the sourdough, weight the natural yeast, then add the same amount of flour and half the amount of water.

2. In the quickest recipes, the ratio of flour and sourdough used must be 3 to 1. (e.g. for 900 g of flour use 300 g of sourdough).

3. The rising time of the dough will depend on the age and strength of the yeast, at first it may take 3 to 6 hours (however, when it doubles in size it is ready for use).

La pasta madre.
La pasta madre è un lievito naturale che si ottiene facendo fermentare farina e acqua. Questo lievito può avere una consistenza più solida o liquida, a seconda della quantità d’acqua utilizzata, normalmente la versione più liquida ha una lievitazione migliore.

Consiglio vivamente la preparazione e l’utilizzo di questo ingrediente, essendo un lievito completamente naturale e quindi molto più digeribile e salutare rispetto ad altri lieviti comunemente utilizzati. Inoltre può essere usato facilmente nella preparazione di svariati tipi di pane, pizze torte salate e dolci con risultati sorprendenti.

Preparazione della pasta madre.

1. Per prima cosa, preparate un piccolo impasto unendo 1 tazza di farina integrale biologica (la farina integrale è necessaria per il primo impasto) a 1/2 tazza d’acqua fredda (utilizzate acqua con poco cloro, potete miscelare l’acqua del rubinetto con acqua minerale naturale).

2. Mettere gli ingredienti in un contenitore (è consigliabile utilizzare un contenitore di vetro oppure acciaio inossidabile, ma anche la plastica per alimenti va bene) e mescolare fino ad ottenere un composto cremoso. Coprire il contenitore con un panno umido e lasciate riposare per 24 ore.

3. Passate 24 ore, levate la parte dura in superficie e rinfrescare quello che resta del lievito, cioè aggiungete al composto 1 tazza di farina (potete utilizzare la 00, manitoba oppure farina integrale, come preferite) e mezzo bicchiere d’ acqua. Mescolare bene, coprire con un panno umido e lasciate riposare per altre 24 ore.

4. Ora potete rinfrescare il lievito ogni 2 giorni, utilizzando sempre una tazza di farina e 1/2 tazza d’acqua. Continuate con questa procedura per circa 10 giorni.

5. Dopo 10 giorni, potete incominciare a rinfrescare la pasta madre ogni 4-5 giorni. Arrivati a questo punto, la vostra pasta madre è pronta per essere utilizzata nelle vostre ricette.

La conservazione.

1. Conservate la pasta madre in un vasetto di vetro, chiuso con il coperchio e tenuto in frigorifero.

2. Dopo ogni rinfresco, lasciate riposare il lievito madre per una o due ore in un vasetto coperto da un panno umido a temperatura ambiente, poi chiudete il contenitore e rimettetelo nel frigorifero.

Le dosi consigliate.

1. Nutrite la pasta madre il giorno prima di utilizzarla (almeno 12 ore prima). Per nutrire la pasta madre, prima pesate il lievito naturale, poi aggiungere la stesso peso di farina e metà del peso di acqua.

2. Nelle ricette più rapide, il rapporto tra farina e pasta madre deve essere di 3 a 1, cioè su 900 g di farina utilizzeremo 300 g di lievito naturale.

3. Il tempo di lievitazione dipenderà dall’età e dalla forza della pasta madre. I tempi possono variare dalle 3 alle 6 ore, consiglio però di non guardare l’orologio ma di osservare il volume dell’impasto, quando raddoppia è pronto per l’uso.

Wholemeal chestnut bread with rosemary and pine nuts

November 17, 2013Bread & Buns, High-fibre Food, SourdoughBread, Chestnut flour, Farina di castagne, Food, Lievito madre, Malt, Natural yeast, Pane integrale, Pasta madre, Pine nuts, Sourdough, Whole grain, whole wheat, Wholemeal flourSerena @ foodfulife

This bread is absolutely amazing!!

This week we are going to prepare a very special wholemeal bread, made with chestnut flour, rosemary and pine nuts.

In Italy, the weather is getting colder; a few days ago I took out my clay cooking pot from the cupboard and I made a nice cereal soup to warm myself up. This rustic but tasty bread goes particularly well with slow cooking dishes. A nice vegetable stew served with chestnut bread could be the perfect Sunday meal for a rainy or a cold day. Great comfort food for those like me who enjoy practising this cooking method.

Tip. Prepare the dough in the evening and let it rise throughout the night, it will save you some time and the recipe will be more manageable.

Wholemeal chestnut bread with rosemary and pine nuts.

Ingredients

100 g (3.5 oz) chestnut flour

120 g (4.2 oz) whole spelt flour

120 g (4.2 oz) wholemeal flour (whole wheat flour)

120 g (4.2 oz) durum wheat flour

140 g (4.9 oz) sourdough (mine is made with plain and manitoba flour) or 15 g yeast

a little bit of barley malt (optional)

water and salt as needed

1 egg yolk

a handfull of pine nuts

a bunch of fresh rosemary

Dough preparation.

1. Combine the flours with salt , malt (optional) and sourdough.

2. Knead until you have a compact dough. Let it rise until the dough doubles in volume (3-6 hours for the sourdough and 1-2 for the yeast).

Making the bread.

1. Roll the dough out on an oven tray covered with baking paper and shape a rectangle.

2. Finally chop the rosemary, then sprinkle with a few pine nuts.

3. Fold the edges, turn it upside down (see the pictures) and let it rise for another hour or two.

4. Slash the surface of the dough with a knife in a criss-cross pattern and garnish with a few pine nuts.

5. Mix the egg yolk with 2 tablespoons of water and brush the top of the bread with the glaze.

6. Bake at 200 ° C ( 392° F) for about 20-25 minutes.

Serve it warm with some butter…It’s absolutely delicious!

Pane integrale con farina di castagne, rosmarino e pinoli.

Ingredienti

100 g di farina di castagne

120 g di semola rimacinata

120 g di farina di farro integrale

120 g di farina integrale di buona qualità

140 g di lievito madre (il mio è fatto con farina bianca e manitoba) o 15 g di lievito di birra

una punta di cucchiaio di malto d’orzo (facoltativo)

1 tuorlo d’uovo

una manciata di pinoli

qualche rametto di rosmarino fresco

Preparazione della pasta.

1. Mescolate le farine con il sale, il malto (facoltativo) e il lievito naturale (o il lievito di birra).

2. Impastate fino ad ottenere un panetto compatto. Lasciate lievitare fino a quando l’impasto raddoppia di volume (3-6 ore per il lievito madre e 1-2 ore per il lievito di birra).

Preparazione del pane.

1. Stendere la pasta su una teglia ricoperta con carta da forno e formate una sfoglia rettangolare.

2. Tritate finemente il rosmarino e cospargetelo con alcuni pinoli sulla sfoglia di pasta.

3. Piegare i bordi come per chiudere un pacchetto (vedi foto). Capovolgete il pane e lasciate lievitare per 2 ore.

4. Fate dei tagli in diagonale (poco profondi) sulla superficie della pasta e guarnite con alcuni pinoli.

5. Mescolare il tuorlo d’uovo con 2 cucchiai d’acqua e spennellare il bordo del pane.

6. Mettete a cuocere in forno a 200 ° C per circa 20-25 minuti. Servite il pane caldo con un po’ di burro sopra.

Spring onion stuffed focaccia bread.

October 5, 2013Bread & Buns, Dairy-free, High-fibre Food, Pescetarian, Seafood, SourdoughAnchovies, Appetisers, Focaccia, Focaccia bread, Low-fat recipes, Olives, Sourdough, Spelt flour, Spring onions, Stuffed focaccia, Whole-wheat flourSerena @ foodfulife

My grandmother used to prepare this recipe for family dinners and celebrations. I remember eating a lot of this focaccia bread at every dinner we had. Of course, as usual, I made my own version using wholemeal flour and less anchovies and olives than in the original recipe. Anyway, it’s delicious and quite a versatile dish that you can have as a main vegan or vegetarian dish, or as a side dish with other courses.

I am very happy to share this recipe here, its flavour takes me back to some good memories.

Ingredients

500 g (17.6 oz) of well risen pizza dough (I made mine with 1/3 wholemeal flour, 1/3 wholemeal spelt flour, 1/3 sourdough, water and salt) . Also see the post on how to make pizza dough with yeast for the recipe.

500 g ( 17.6 oz) spring onions

4-5 anchovies in oil

50 g (1.76 oz) pitted green olives

extra virgin olive oil

salt to taste

1. Divide the dough into two equal parts. Take one part and shape a disk slightly larger than 30 cm in diameter.

2. Take an oven pan (28 cm in diameter), grease with plenty of olive oil and roll out the dough.

3. Peel and slice the spring onions, including the tender green part. Fry the onions with plenty of olive oil over low heat, until they are tender.

4. Cut the olives, chop the anchovies and place all the ingredients evenly on the dough.

5. Make another disk with the remaining dough, in order to cover and seal the focaccia, then let it rise for an hour.

6. Season with some salt and a little bit of oil, then bake at 200 ° C (392° F) for 20 minutes.

Focaccia integrale ripiena con cipollotti e olive.

Ingredienti

500 g di pasta da pane ben lievitata (ho fatto la mia usando 1/3 di farina integrale, 1/3 di farina di farro, 1/3 di pasta madre, acqua e sale)

500 g di cipollotti

4-5 acciughe sott’olio

50 g di olive verdi snocciolate

olio extra vergine d’oliva e sale qb

1. Dividete la pasta in due parti uguali. Prendete una parte dell’impasto e formate un disco leggermente più grande di 30 cm di diametro.

2. Prendete una teglia da forno (di 28 cm di diametro), ungete con abbondante olio d’oliva e stendere la pasta.

3. Sbucciare e affettare i cipollotti, compresa la parte verde più tenera. Fate soffriggere con abbondante olio d’oliva a fuoco basso.

4. Tagliare le olive e tritate le acciughe. Stendete tutti gli ingredienti in modo uniforme sulla pasta.

5. Formate un disco con la pasta rimasta per coprire e sigillare la focaccia. Lasciate lievitare per circa un’ora.

6. Condite con un po’ di sale e olio, quindi infornare a 200 ° C per 20 minuti.

Neither a salad or a pizza: Insalapizza! (no cheese)

July 26, 2013Dairy-free, High-fibre Food, Main Dishes, Pizza, Sourdough, Vegan, VegetarianBaking, Cooking, Flour, Food, Low-fat recipes, Mozzarella, Natural yeast, No cheese, Onion, Pizza, Seeds, Sourdough, Tomatoes, Vegan, Vegetables, wholegrains, WholemealSerena @ foodfulife

As refreshing as a summer salad and as tasty as a pizza! This is why I decided to call this dish insalapizza (salad-pizza). I often end up with no mozzarella cheese in my fridge, and this usually happens when I feel like having a pizza!…So one evening I came up with this nice and simple recipe. Since then I have had several occasions to try out and improve this dish. I hope you like it!

Pizza-salad recipe.

Ingredients

for 1 pizza

For the pizza dough

35 g (1.23 oz) wholemeal flour (whole wheat flour)

35 g (1.23 oz) whole spelt flour

20 g (0.70 oz) Manitoba flour

45 g (1.58 oz) plain flour sourdough (or you can use 5 g of yeast. In this case, you have to add 45 g of plain flour and more water to make the dough. the rising time will also vary)

1 or 2 tablespoons mixed grains (hulled oats, hulled barley, hulled spelt, wheat, rye, brown rice)

1/2 tablespoon flax seeds (linseeds), optional

1/2 teaspoon salt

a little bit of barley malt syrup (to increase leavening strenght, optional)

Pizza toppings and seasoning

1 big onion

3 plum tomatos

water as needed

some rocket (arugula) leaves, washed and dried

salt and pepper

extra virgin olive oil (2 tablespoons to grease the oven tray and 2 more to pour on the pizza toppings)

Method

1. Wash the seeds and soak them in water for 6-8 hours.

2. Mix the sourdough with the flours, some water and malt (or honey). Add the seeds and half a teaspoon of salt to the dough. Mix well and increase the amount of flour if necessary (the dough shouldn’t stick to your hands).

3. Let the dough rise until it has doubled in volume (3-6 hours, if you use sourdough).

If you use normal yeast (not sourdough) you have to increase the amount of flour and water ( in this case, add 45 g of plain flour) to the dough. Dissolve the yeast in a little bit of water with 1 tablespoon of flour. Then add the yeast to the mixture and let it rise for about an hour.

4. When the dough is ready, roll out the pizza base in a round baking tray (20-30 cm in diameter), greased with plenty of olive oil. Let the pizza base rise for another hour. Meanwhile, clean and cut the onion very finely and leave it to soak for an hour in water.

5. Wash, dry and cut the tomatoes into small cubes. Top your pizza base with the onion and the tomatoes. Season your pizza with plenty of extra virgin olive oil and bake at 200 ° C (392° F) for 30 minutes (until crispy).

Remove from the oven, season with salt and pepper, and garnish with a few rocket leaves.

A few tips.

To shorten the preparation time, I usually make a lot of dough, I divide it into small quantities and store it in the freezer. In this way the dough is ready when I need it. Leave the seeds to soak at night, this also save some time.

Insalapizza.

Ingredienti per la base della pizza ai cereali.

Per 1 pizza

35 g di farina integrale

35 g di farina integrale di farro

20 g di manitoba

45 g di lievito madre (potete sostituire il lievito madre aggiungendo 45 g di farina 00 all’impasto con un po’ d’acqua e 5 g di lievito di birra da diluire con poca acqua e farina)

1 o 2 cucchiai di cereali misti (avena decorticata, orzo decorticato, farro decorticato, frumento, segale, riso integrale)

1/2 cucchiaio di semi di lino (facoltativo)

1/2 cucchiaino di sale

pochissimo malto d’orzo (per fare lievitare meglio l’impasto, ma è facoltativo)

un po’ di farina in più da aggiungere a fine impasto

acqua q b

Ingredienti per il condimento

3 pomodori perini maturi

1 cipolla dolce grande

un mazzetto di rucola, lavata e pulita

sale e pepe q b

Olio d’oliva abbondante (2 cucchiai per ungere la teglia e 2 in più per condire la pizza in superficie )

Preparazione.

1. Lavate e lasciate i semi a bagno in acqua per 6-8 ore. Nel frattempo, unite le farine e il malto al lievito madre, aggiungendo un po’ d’acqua, se necessario. Lavorate bene l’impasto. Aggiungete i semi, con mezzo cucchiaino di sale e aumentate la quantità di farina nel caso il composto risultasse troppo umido.

2. Fate lievitare fino a quando l’impasto sarà raddoppiato di volume (3-6 ore). Se usate il lievito di birra dovete aggiungere 45 g di farina 00 all’impasto, poi diluire il lievito di birra in un po’ d’acqua e impastare tutto. In questo caso, dovete lasciare lievitare per un’ ora circa.

3. Quando l’impasto sarà lievitato, stendetelo su una teglia rotonda (25-30 cm di diametro), ungendo la base con abbondante alio d’oliva. Lasciate lievitare per 1 oretta. Nel frattempo, tagliate la cipolla e lasciatela immersa in acqua per almeno 1 ora (per renderla più dolce). Lavate, asciugate e tagliate i pomodori a cubetti.

4. Disponete la cipolla e i pomodori sulla pizza e condite con abbondante olio d’oliva .Cuocete a 200 ° C per 30 minuti. Sfornate, condite con sale e pepe, aggiungendo qualche foglia di rucola per guarnire.

Consigli per la preparazione.

Per accorciare i tempi, generalmente preparo in anticipo una grossa quantità di pasta, la divido nelle giuste dosi e la scongelo in caso di bisogno. Questo procedimento facilità notevolmente le cose e funziona alla grande! Consiglio anche di lasciare i semi immersi nell’acqua tutta la notte, saranno più morbidi e i tempi di preparazione saranno più facili da gestire.