In times of quarantine and budget spending, we have all rediscovered the baker within – and yeast is one of the most difficult products to find, in all its forms.The solution? A mother yeast sourdough starter! Though we must warn you, this is not a "ready-to-go" recipe. It takes patience and attention – because yeast is a living thing. So we asked the baking king himself, “Pizza Hero” Gabriele Bonci, to give us his recipe for the perfect sourdough starter. This is the firmer Italian version of a sourdough starter – called lievito madre – so it’s perfect for both sweet and savory recipes, from colomba cakes and panettone to pizza and bread. You can even make fresh croissants and brioche with it, too. More than a recipe, it's a process. Follow Bonci’s advice to (forever) solve the yeast shortage problem at the supermarket!
The Recipe: Gabriele Bonci's Mother Yeast Sourdough Starter
Ingredients:
2 oz raisins, 5 oz flour, 4 ½ oz water
Method:
The very first step is to prepare the starter, which is what gives life to what we call the mother yeast. Start by rinsing the raisins several times in lukewarm water to wash them of any impurities. Once the raisins are well-rinsed, transfer them to a bowl with 4 ½ oz water and blend everything with a food processor until just combined (don’t overmix). Transfer the mixture back to a bowl and add the flour using a spatula, stirring in a circular motion. It is not necessary to work the dough too much – all the ingredients just need to be blended enough to result in a soft and sticky mixture. Transfer the mixture to a large jar (where it can grow up to 5-6x its current volume). Leave the jar closed with a damp gauze tied as a cap using an elastic band. Let it rest for 48 hours at room temperature.
The first feeding:
Ingredients:
5 oz flour, 2 ½ oz water
After 48 hours, take a large spoonful of the starter (which should be about 5-6x larger in volume by now). It’s fine to discard the top, which has taken in the most air – it’s best to use the softer middle part. Next, transfer a portion of the starter to a bowl – first adding the flour followed by the water. Stir with a spoon, rotating the back of the spoon on the bowl to keep the edges clean. Only once all the ingredients have been incorporated can you move to the worksurface to work the mixture by hand. Once at the worksurface, work the dough with your hands, making small folds and return to the bowl and mix with the spoon. Alternate this process several times, going back and forth from the worksurface to the bowl. This allows for more oxidation in the dough, making it firmer. However, there is no need to add more flour – not even when you’re working it with your hands. Once the dough has become a smooth ball, let it rest for awhile. You’ll need a jar with a removable gasket to allow for changes in oxygen.
Subsequent feedings
With the same ingredients and the same procedure as the first feeding, the yeast should be fed every 48 hours – always discarding the top part and using the heart of the dough. Over time, the starter will continue growing and it will also be necessary to change the jar, using a larger one each time. Your mother yeast sourdough starter should be ready after 31 days.
Penultimate feeding
The last feeding has a different process from the previous instructions – even if the ingredients are the same. Always start by working the dough in a bowl, moving everything quickly to the worksurface using at least several rounds of the folding technique – the dough must be folded on itself repeatedly, rotated 180 degrees and folded again. After the first folds – once all the ingredients are incorporated and the dough mixture is not yet smooth – you can start working it with a rolling pin, dusting the dough (very lightly!) with flour. Use the rolling pin to make a central groove on the surface and crush the dough to roll it out and make more folds. Rotate it several times, repeating the same steps. Once the dough mixture becomes a little harder, it’s time for the last step. Roll out the dough in a long tongue shape – as thin as possible – and fold it in three, starting from the short side. Close the dough by making a roll and cutting a deep cross in the middle with a smooth-bladed knife. Let the yeast rest in a bowl covered with a cloth (not hermetically sealed). Wait three hours and then transfer to the fridge. Once it has more than doubled in volume, the yeast will be ready.
A bath and the last feeding
Before being worked on for the last feeding, there is still one more step to take: we must give our dough a nice bath. Cut the dough out with a knife, favoring the central honeycombed part. Remove the outer skin, which is more leathery due to oxidation. The bath should be done in a bowl of lukewarm water and sugar, which should be left at the bottom of the bowl, without melting it. Cut the sourdough into large cubes, pressing and folding them to remove any extra air left inside. Transfer the sourdough to the bowl and let it rest in the solution for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, you’ll need to squeeze the sourdough with your hands to remove excess water and feed it once more with the same weight used for the other feedings. Always start by working the dough in the bowl, incorporating all the ingredients before transferring it to the worksurface. Start the folding process using a rolling pin as you did for the previous steps. Once the dough is firm, roll out a “tongue” of dough with the rolling pin and divide into two sections. One section can be used for your own recipes after making a cross cut with a knife and letting it rest for three hours at room temperature. The other section will be ready to be stored in the fridge – after three hours of resting, of course – and can be used as a mother yeast sourdough starter for later uses.
Management
A good sourdough starter must be fed at least every 48 hours to stay healthy. It’s even better to feed it every day – for the perfect yeast anytime you might need it. When you want to use it for your own recipes, you must always do the final feeding step (i.e. once refreshed, the dough must be divided in two: one part goes in the fridge for later uses and one part for 3 hours at room temperature before using it.) It is also important that it remains in the fridge, always kept in a bowl covered by cloth – never hermetically sealed.