Avanti – trentuno notti
Reflections on cultivating Robespierre and making bread, gathered every thirty one nights
- No two starters are created equal
- In the first ten days, temperature control and patience are the two most precious elements
- In all other days: patience, observation, sensory feelings of the dough on your hands
- No need for fermentation catalysts; flour and water make wonders
- Get to know your starter; how does it behave? what color? what aroma? what consistency? what growth time?
- A starter is a biome, it has internal balance. Observation helps noting shifts in behaviour
- To each consequence there must be at least a cause; causes can be formed by combinations of factors
- When testing, change one variable at the time; and observe the results
- When kneading, appreciate the moment in which the dough starts becoming itself
- Different flours have different uses, composition, and characteristics. 00 is the more easily manageable
- Clean the jar where the starter rested as soon as the starter moves to the new jar at every daily feed; use hot water and a clean sponge