Leavening

Man started using cereal grains during the Neolithic age, and millet was one of the first cereals to be used. It was milled into flour which was used to make flat bread. The real revolution came with the discovery of the natural fermentation of the dough, and the use of part of the first dough to make the new dough. The theory of this chance discovery could be true; the story goes that a dough made from water and flour was forgotten for a few days in a dark and warm spot, it started to ferment and turn acidic.

The technique was later refined by the Egyptians and Greeks. Let’s try to understand very simply what happens. When the water and flour mixture is left to acidify at ambient temperature, the micro-organisms in both the raw materials and the environment begin to multiply. There are 357 strains of lactic fermentations present, which are divided into families: the majority are Lactobacillus, and to a lesser degree Leuconostoc and Pediococcus.

Together with the other substances the lactic bacteria produce lactic acid and acetic acid. To control the mould, the lactic acid and the acetic acid must be present in a proportion of 3:1. The lactic acid gives greater elasticity to the gluten, the microflora that develops depends not only on the micro-organisms in the flour and the water , but also those present in the environment. This is why one often hears about the mother yeast which is typical of a particular place, such as the famous Mother of Philadelphia, etc. The mother is none other than a piece of the previously made dough which is added to the new dough. It is preserved forever because each time a piece of the new dough is put aside.

However, in reality it is really quite complicated because there are so many variables to be kept under control, one of the most important being the pH level. The mother is refreshed every day so that the pH level can be corrected: dough too acidic, dough too weak, etc. The technique adopted when using natural yeast is the repeated kneading method. We include below an example of the methods and times required to make the Sottolestelle spelt fette biscottate.

• Day 1 – We prepare the mother yeast with spelt flour which is not freshly milled
• Day 2 – after leavening for 15 hours at a temperature of 24 degrees, we proceed with the first kneading, without fats, leavening for 4 hours at 30 degrees. We proceed with the second kneading, adding fats, leavening for 1 hour, shaping and leavening for final 4 hours. Baking. Rest for 12 hours.
• Day 3 - cutting and toasting, and lastly, when the product has cooled completely, packaging.

Fette biscottate made with brewer’s yeast and then force-cooled can be produced in just a few hours!