Do you want to venture into the joys of sourdough baking? Or has your own sourdough died for some inexplicable reason and you want to recreate it?
Here’s a very simple process for preparing a “liquid” sourdough (what in Italian we call “LICOLI”, i.e. Li = lievito, Co = coltura, LI = Liquid), from scratch in just one week and with few steps.
You just need three ingredients and you are ready to start!
Sourdough
Ingredients
- 20 grams Strong Flour you can use white flour or wholemeal, as long as they contain a protein percentage greater than 12%
- 20 grams Water at room temperature
- 20 grams Yogurt (natural white) at room temperature
Instructions
- Mix together yogurt, flour, and water until well combined. Pour into a clean jar and cover with plastic wrap that has been pierced with a toothpick. Leave the mixture at room temperature for 48 hours.
- After 48 hours, the mixture will have formed a small layer of liquid on the surface. Gently remove the liquid with a spoon and proceed with the first refreshment by adding 20 grams of flour and 20 grams of water. Leave the jar covered with the pierced plastic wrap at room temperature for another 48 hours.
- During this time, the sourdough will probably begin to activate and grow slowly (see the picture, we recommend to mark the level of the sourdough with a rubber band around the jar, as this will help monitoring the growth). If it doesn't, don't worry. Wait the whole 48 hours and proceed with the second refreshment anyway. Again, remove the surface liquid and mix the sourdough with another 20 grams of flour and 20 grams of water. Leave the sourdough to ferment at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap.
- At this point, you need to monitor the growth of the sourdough. When it reaches the maximum level of growth (see the picture) and you notice it begins to collapse, you must proceed with the third refreshment (time will depend on room temperature and the degree of sourdough "activation"). Take 20 grams of sourdough from the total mixture (discard the rest) and refresh it with 20 grams of water and 20 grams of flour.
- Repeat the process at point 4) once a day until the sourdough doubles in size in no more than 4 hours (this may take 2-5 days).When your your sourdough doubles in 4 hours, it is ready to bake!
