December 24, 2016 - 9:08am
Lievito Madre for Panettone
I made a starter from scratch this past summer specifically to use for making panettone. Following directions for refreshment, temperature and hydration I'm unable to get the starter to rise 3 fold in 4 hours. It doesn't even double in that time. I've tried to build this for 3 days to see if it would increase in activity but alas, no luck.
The starter is plenty active for regular bread making, just not high fat breads. The water is tap water from our well; I live in an area that has a lot of limestone formations.
Any ideas on troubleshooting this problem? PH of the water maybe?
By the way, I have 20 years experience making whole grain bread at home using sourdough starters.
thanks,
chris
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sorry for the double post.
First of all, Happy Holidays and I hope this wasn't for a Christmas moring bake!
There are many directions out there for natural levain. Which directions are you following? Provide an outline of what you do.
What is the ambient temperature of the room where the levain develops? That is very important- a few degrees can make a world of difference.
If there is any question about the water, buy a bottle of natural spring water (not sparkling) and see if it makes a difference. My water is very highly chlorinated and I don't use it for drinking or culturing, unfortunately.
Thanks for your reply. No this wasn't for a Christmas bake. Had it worked I would have given it as a gift.
I'm following MWilson's blog and also Raffaele Pignataro's on his blog. The lievito is fermented at a constant temperature 82-83f degrees. I use a water bath on the stove top that provides constant temps.
I'm going to look at the flour before changing water. I use this water for all my other sourdough baking and there is no problem.