Doughnuts with LM Revisited
While pizza is a twice weekly affair, I wanted to put my ever-improving LM to the test by using it in an enriched dough. I cast an on eye over my blog where I found the recipe for doughnuts. Mentally scaling it down to a more manageable quantity, I opted to do a 2/3rds yield.
Pizza Week 3.
I have been testing new formulations of pizza dough and have settled upon a formula similar to my baguettes but tweaked to make a Neapolitan style pizza dough, meaning elevated salt levels and low-end hydration with medium strength flour. In this case, I used the standard Caputo "Blue" Tipo 00 W270.
The dough handled beautifully and really was exceptional - tender but still with good chew and a pleasure to handle. Hand stretched into a round disc in the usual manner...
Needless to say I was ecstatic with the outcome...
MW Baguette recipe - Yields 3 full size (60cm) baguettes scaled at 330-340g each. Target baked weight 250g.
Note that I didn't roll to 60cm but 40cm as I don't have a wide oven. Achieving those dimensions and weight can be tricky in a domestic setting especially with sourdough.
French baguette specs.: ~250 grams of which ~200g is flour, 60cm length.
Two dough formula, this recipe will test the ability of your LM starter!
Abandoned 3 times, this 4th attempt I saw through to the end...
I had to tweak the process timing to match my schedule and gave the final laminated dough a fridge proof for 36 hours.
I had originally planned to make this into Pan Aux Raisin but I didn't get around to making the creme pat and rum soaking the raisins. Next time!
In recent times I have massively improved the performance of my Lievito Madre starter and thought about doing something other than panettone. Off the top of my head I devised a formula, originally without egg but ended up adding one egg as my planned mixture needed more hydration. By the time of shaping and proofing, the dough was perhaps a little too soft but it worked out nonetheless.
Probably the best of my Panettone bakes so far this season! Lucky number 5!
I have been using the Milanese bound method exclusively to manage the LM this Christmas, in attempt to really get to grips with it and try to develop a deep understanding of what it does and how to use this technique wisely. Except for one occasion weeks ago where I made the over night in water, Piemontese style, as I felt the leavening seemed a little sluggish and as expected it massively ramped up yeast leavening power! Otherwise bound method all the way.
Before panettone, I tested my new LM starter. I choose to try something of quality... Wildfarmed is a brand in the UK that promotes regenerative farming practices headed up by former DJ and music producer Andy Cato. This bag says its from UK and French wheat, protein is low at 10.x%.
This was circa 70% hydration. I don't have any notes to describe what I did...
I did a flour water only autolyse at 55% hydration for about 3 hours.
Until recently I was busy working hard making English Sparkling wine for a large UK producer, we collectively processed 2000 tonnes of grapes! Now harvest is over it's time to get baking again and of course it is panettone season...
In addition to making wine at scale I have a few vines and make my own. I do spontaneous fermentation and I used this as a source of naturally occurring yeasts.
It's been several weeks since then and I have made three panettones (one per week) with my new LM starter.
Also I have been using a new formula - my own!
The Zoia Panettone Challenge
- Recipe from “Non Solo Zucchero” by Iginio Massari
Iginio Massari a name much revered in the world of Panettone yet his mentor, Achille Zoia is lesser known, but to his credit a speciality flour formulated to accommodate Zoia’s technological liking bears his name… “Panettone Z” produced by Molino Dallagiovanna is the flour of choice being favoured by many maestri for its excellent extensibility.
