Making Bread with LICOLI at home is always a great magic for me: a few ingredients, a little patience, to bring back that fragrance at home that fills the heart and evokes distant memories…
The LICOLI, liquid sourdough, gives the bread a unique lightness, a crunchy crust, and a soft and well-structured crumb.
In this recipe, I explain how to make an artisanal bread accessible to everyone, with practical advice on rising times, hydration, lamination, folds, and LICOLI management.
Perfect for preparing excellent bruschetta, croutons, or simply enjoying warm with a drizzle of good olive oil: a fragrant delight worth trying.
Follow the scent… the recipe continues!
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- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Very cheap
- Rest time: 21 Hours
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 2 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 1,000.20 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 201.86 (g) of which sugars 3.93 (g)
- Proteins 38.63 (g)
- Fat 3.21 (g) of which saturated 0.00 (g)of which unsaturated 0.00 (g)
- Fibers 7.36 (g)
- Sodium 2,681.78 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 1,000 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 5.29 oz sourdough starter (in liquid culture, refreshed)
- 3 1/2 cups Manitoba flour (or flour with strength W 350)
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (soft wheat)
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 1/3 tsp salt
Tools
- 1 Proofing basket proofing baskets
- 1 Dough scraper dough scraper and cutter
- 1 Stand mixer
Preparation
For the LICOLI
To refresh the liquid sourdough starter (li.co.li) and make it active, take 1.76 oz of li.co.li (the excess, which remains in the container, can be discarded or used to prepare recipes that do not require leavening, such as rosemary breadsticks). Place it in a stand mixer or a bowl and add equal weight of water (1.76 oz) at about 100°F, and equal weight of flour (1.76 oz). Then knead until combined. Place it in a graduated container or glass jar and let it rise until the li.co.li has reached one and a half times its initial volume according to the Pagani method (for example, if the refreshed li.co.li inside the jar is 2 inches high, it will be ready for use when it has reached a height of 3 inches). Generally, a healthy sourdough rises in about 3 hours at a temperature of 72°F).
For the bread – 1st step autolysis
In the stand mixer bowl, place the two flours, the water (reserving some to add later with the salt), and the refreshed sourdough starter (5.29 oz), then mix with the hook at low speed just long enough to absorb the water. The dough should be coarse. Cover and let rest for about an hour in winter and a half-hour in summer.
After the necessary time for autolysis, add the remaining water with the salt and start the stand mixer at low/medium speed, kneading with the hook until the dough is soft and elastic. Cover again and let rest for about 30 minutes.
After the time has passed, transfer the dough to a work surface, wet your hands, and stretch it as much as you can, trying to form a rectangle (dough lamination). Take one outer side of the rectangle and bring it to the center of the dough. Do the same with the other corners. Roll the dough over itself, form a ball, and place it back in the bowl. Cover and let rest for about 45 minutes.
Make folds twice, with 30-40 minutes between each. Then proceed with shaping the dough by dusting it with plenty of flour, closing it well, and handling it carefully to avoid releasing the air incorporated inside the bread. Place it in the well-floured proofing basket, cover with a cloth, and let it rest in the fridge for about 14-16 hours.
The next day, preheat the oven to 482 °F in static mode and place a cast iron pot with the lid if you have one. If not, don’t worry, your bread will still be good.
While the oven reaches temperature, sprinkle the bread with a little flour, then carefully and gently flip it onto a parchment paper sheet, removing the excess flour. Make a deep cut from one end to the other with a blade.
When the oven has reached temperature, transfer the bread into the pot, being very careful as it will be very hot! To make this operation easier, lift it with the outer edges of the parchment paper and place it into the pot or on a baking sheet, cover with the lid, and bake for 15 minutes. After this time, lower the oven temperature to 428 °F for about 35 more minutes without the lid. When it has reached the right color, remove it from the oven. Before slicing and enjoying the bread, wait for it to cool, which will take at least a couple of hours. The wait will surely be worth it and will prevent the bread from getting ruined.
Silvana’s Tips
Use high-quality flour: it helps to support high hydration.
If the dough is too soft, add an extra rest between folds.
The crust will stay crunchy longer by letting the bread cool on a rack.
For a wider airiness, prefer a long and gentle fermentation.
