Bread is the main staple food in our country and there are innumerable Italian bread recipes. Find out how to use the “pasta madre” or bread starter for the basic Italian homemade bread recipe. It is usually begun with a simple mixture of flour, water, and a little quantity of sugar. Thanks to the presence of microorganisms, found on the surface of the grains and the flour, the mixture will start a fermentation process and begin to leaven if left at room temperature away from air draughts. The “pasta madre” is then added to the bread dough before the kneading and baking to allow the leavening process. The fermentation of the dough releases gases and bubbles thus making the bread lighter and more digestible. Here is how to make your own “pasta madre” to start your Italian bread baking. You’ll need: 150 gr. of freshly ground wheat flour, preferably of the “manitoba” kind half a cup of non chlorinated water a small spoon of sugar or honey 2 - Wrap the bowl in a canvas and place it in the turned off oven 3 - Mix a couple of times a day After 24 hours you should see the first bubbles and after 48 hours the dough should start leavening and increasing in volume. When the pasta madre is ready you will notice a light acid smell like yogurt, if you wait too long the smell will be stronger, like vinegar. 4 - Mix with the same quantity of flour and water, let the dough to rise in a glass bowl and place in the turned off oven, covered with a moist canvas. The pasta madre is now ready but it´s not strong enough to make bread yet. At the beginning use it to make crackers and “grissini” (bread sticks) and always keep some for further use. After you have mixed and used a few times your pasta madre (in Italian this process is called “rinfrescare la pasta madre”)it will grow in quantity and strength and you’ll be ready to bake bread and pizza.
Ingredients: 500 gr. of pasta madre 500 gr. of flour 250 gr. of warm water 2 pinches of salt Shape the dough into a thick square and roll it. Lightly cut the surface and let leaven in the oven at room temperature for 3 hours. Bake at 220 C (428 F ) for 10 min. and then turn down to 180 C (356 F) for another 45 min. Enjoy your home baked bread!
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