Recipe by Romito: White Potato Bread
Ingredients
4.5 kg of '0' flour
500 g of durum wheat semolina
750 g of boiled yellow-fleshed potatoes
250 g of sourdough
3 liters of water (for the dough)
120 g of salt
8 g of granulated sugar
4 liters of water (for washing the yeast)
Method
For the making of the sourdough
Soak the yeast in water at 35°C with sugar. This way, the yeast will reactivate its bacterial flora, purifying itself, and losing some of the typical acidity of sourdough.
Wait for the yeast to resurface, and once it's ready, squeeze out the excess water, releasing the carbon dioxide formed inside it. Mix it with an equal amount of its weight in flour and 40% of its weight in water.
Knead until you obtain a firm, elastic, and smooth consistency. Let it rise for at least 3 hours before preparing it for the dough.
For the bread
Put the flours, yeast, potatoes, and part of the water into the mixer. Start the machine at the lowest power to prevent the dough from heating up and triggering premature bacterial proliferation during fermentation.
Knead until everything is well combined, and the mixture is well structured and firm.
Continue adding water gradually to maintain the dough's strength, and finally add the salt.
Method for Baking
Let the dough rise until it has doubled in volume. Punch it down and let it rest for at least 3 hours, covered with a cloth, at a constant temperature of about 20°C in a well-ventilated area.
Bake in a static oven for about 40 minutes at a temperature of 240°C. Be sure to open the oven valve after the first 20 minutes of baking to release the moisture that has formed inside the chamber and allow the bread to form a crust.
Cover Photo: Roberto Sammartini
