I was lucky enough to be joined by fellow students in learning the process of making sourdough bread. The owner, Lorenza, showed us the step-by-step process, and thoroughly explained the reasoning behind each step. At L’assalto, they use local, stone-milled flour that is minimally refined so that there are valuable nutrients still present. Then warm water is added to the flour; this allowed us to begin mixing and kneading the dough. To mix you must start from the outside and work your way in. Once the dough comes to a ball shape, it must rest for 30 minutes to let all of the water be absorbed by the flour. After 30 minutes, a portion of the sourdough starter (a mixture of flour and water that is “fed” with more of each everyday because it is alive) is added, which then can be mixed again, folding from the outside to the inside. Unfortunately we were not present for the baking of our bread because the dough needed much more time to rest, ferment, and rise. Eventually we were able to retrieve our baked bread and it was absolutely delicious!
What makes L’assalto ai forni stand out from most bakeries is refraining from the addition of commercial yeast. Instead they rely on wild yeast from the air that makes its way to the sourdough starter. The sourdough starter is a necessary component of the bread because it gives the finished product acidity as well as deeper flavor. The process of fermenting the dough also makes this bakery unique from many others in Italy. The process of letting the dough sit for hours and hours produces carbon dioxide and alcohol in the dough, as well as probiotics which makes the finished product much healthier than conventional bread. Conventional bread often uses refined white flour with high gluten content, as well as commercial yeast to speed up the rising process. This method of making bread, which has been common practice around the world for decades now, has resulted in a much less healthy product and in turn has caused digestive issues for many. That is why Lorenzo and Lorenza are dedicated to baking unrefined bread only using natural yeast and fermentation…it only creates a healthier, tastier product for the people.
Back at home in New Hampshire are several artisanal bakeries that make delicious sourdough bread, which I would consider my all-time favorite type of bread. I had yet to encounter any form of sourdough in Italy, as most of the bread I have tasted has been basic and often dry. I had not much motivation to purchase bread from the markets, until we came acrosss L’assalto ai forni in the Piazza Arringo, Ascoli Piceno. Every week I will visit the bakery and purchase their bread because it is the best bread I have experienced so far in Italy!
Below is a link to the science behind sourdough bread!
Kerry's Food & Wine Adventures 