Stefano has been sharing his recipes and pictures with us for some time now and he is a more than excellent home baker. We wanted to share with you what he wrote about the situation in Italy. You can also find the excellent bread recipe he shared with us here!
Signs of hope
Here in Italy we start seeing the first signs of improvement, the curve is flattening and the number of deaths is declining. The death toll has been huge, a big tragedy for a lot of families and communities. We will have to stay at home for at least one more month. I’m working from home, with a work time reduction. My office is closed and all the employees are working from home.
It is incredible how people started baking during this crisis, it’s more and more difficult to find flour in the stores and also brewers’ yeast. Fortunately I have my sourdough starter.
Pizza dough recipe
I have been baking a lot of pizza lately. I want to share with you my latest recipe. I have a new formula/process for the pizza dough, it works really well for the Roccbox (a small outdoor pizza oven).
Pizza dough for 2 pizzas
250 g of strong flour
50 g of whole wheat flour
200 ml of very cold water (4°C)
1 g of fresh brewers yeast
6 g of salt
In the evening I mix the dough in the Kitchenaid for at least 10 minutes. Then I transfer it in a oiled bowl and cover with cling film. I let it stand on the counter at room temperature all the night. In the morning at 9:30 (assuming to bake pizza at 12:30) I divide the dough in two balls, put in a small bowl, covered with cling film, and let rest for 3 hours.
Today I also baked croissants, it was quite a long time since my last batch. For the first time I baked some of them filled with apricot jam. I’ve put a tea spoon of jam in the croissant before “rolling” it. The result is amazing. Next time I’ll try with other types of jam, blueberries, strawberry, etc.
Stay safe and take care! Let’s keep baking and experimenting!
Stefano
We would love to hear about your baking and sharing in these unusual and trying times for many of us.
Kaja Gam says
I would love to have your croissant recipe!
Stefano says
Dear Kaja,
I’m actually using the Weekend Bakery’s recipe (www.weekendbakery.com/posts…nt-recipe/). The only difference is that I bake croissants on Day 2 directly instead of putting the dough in the fridge on day 2 and baking on day 3 as per WKB recipe. In fact, that’s the only difference.
Happy baking,
Stefano
Nigel Bamford says
Salve Stefano,
Thank you for showing us your baking (and thanks to Weekend Bakery for letting you do so). I buy all my flour from a mill in England and they have asked me to test 5 different samples of ’00’ flour. So far, I’ve been making my usual sourdough pizza with them but I will have to try your method and compare the results. I notice you do not specify ’00’ flour in your recipe. Would you not use it? I also like the look of your walnut loaf – I can hear my rye starter screaming to be used in it!
I’ll connect on Instagram, if that’s OK.
Best wishes,
Nigel (in Scotland)
Stefano says
Hi Nigel,
I use Italian flour tipo “0”, which is the best for pizza. Not sure you can find it in Scotland, but one of the best flours for Pizza is Mulino Caputo. The 00 flour is usually better for sweet preparations, cakes etc. It’s not only matter of grinding (finer or coarser) it’s also about the amount of proteins and fibres. Nevertheless, also with a good 00 flour you can bake a great pizza. Check the % of proteins, that’s a good rule of thumb. If the protein percentage is higher than 12-13% you get a “strong” flour, good for bread and pizza.
About Instagram, please, go ahead!
Happy baking,
Stefano
Weekend Bakers says
We love the caputo too. Also the caputo ‘cuoco’ which works great when working with longer proofing times. When you make pizza, you want to have an extensible but not very elastic dough. This way it is easy to roll out and it does not spring back that much. This flour works well for that. But we must say, the caputo blue works well for pizza too.
Maybe you have also heard of Manitoba flour (Canadian very high protein content wheat flour) and it would be possible to buy for you to mix this with your bread flour, that would be good for pizza too.
Nigel Bamford says
I think we can get Caputo from an online source, Bakery Bits. Thanks for the clarification. It may well be that my supplier has sent ‘0’ – the sample bags are blank. I just assumed, perhaps wrongly, that it was ’00’.
Ulrich van Stipriaan says
Salve Stefano! Your Croissant looks great! Do you happen to have a recipe for that?
Stai in salute!
Ulrich
from Dresden/Germany
Stefano says
Hi Ulrich,
the recipe is the one from Weekend bakery (www.weekendbakery.com/posts…nt-recipe/). It works great.
Happy baking,
Stefano
Alison Kay says
Ciao Stefano,
I am in Florence, baking also with sourdough. I just got some new flour from Molino Rosso, as you. Are you on Instagram? I’d love to connect.
Stefano says
Ciao Alison,
I work and live in Switzerland but my family is in Florence. I’m in Italy as well now, due to the Covid19 outbreak. Close to Florence, actually. Glad to hear that you managed to get some flour! I’m on Instagram, this is my profile www.instagram.com/youbakeit/
Happy baking,
Stefano
Alison Kay says
I’m in Pontassieve. Found and followed you on IG! Will be nice to connect there.
Stefano says
Hi Alison,
I lived in Molino Del Piano from 1986 to 1991! So I know very well Pontassieve!
Stefano
Robyn says
Thanks for sharing this experience. I live in regional Australia and have been making my usual rota of baked goods, but also trying out some new recipes. I always enjoy reading methods that others use, whether it be tweaks to a recipe or interesting ways with flavours and shaping loaves and pastries. I appreciate the photos of Stefano’s croissant baking!
Stefano says
Dear Robyn,
thanks for your kind words. It’s nice getting comments and feedbacks from all around the world. In particular now that we can’t travel, and we don’t know when and if we’ll be able to do it again.
Happy baking,
Stefano
Tom says
I am in Oklahoma USA we have to watch our distances and wear mask and gloves when out. We are still seeing a rise in cases here. Nothing like you good people have experienced . Our hearts and prayers are with you. You are our brothers and sisters in Christ. I love to bake it brings me great joy. I am 66 years young and a male. My name is Tom. I bake mostly with my sourdough starter. My mother that is 89 taught all of us to bake. We grew up very poor only we did not know it. I bake levain bread. Mostly round and oval loafs ,rolls, biscuits ,waffles whatever comes to mind. Tomorrow I will bake an olive oil rosemary loaf Lord willing. I love to read about the baking in your country and to see what you are baking. Peace and joy to all of you. Stay strong, you are in our hearts.
Stefano says
Dear Tom,
thanks for your message. My grandfather was a baker, so I grew up “absorbing” some skills from him. Then it took me decades to start baking on my own, but since I started..I never stopped. Would you mind sharing your recipe for waffles? My wife loves waffles.
Stay safe and take care
Stefano
Rowena says
You too with the flour! (or the lack thereof). I’m up here in the mountains between the provinces of Lecco and Bergamo, and there is only tipo ’00’ in the stores. Thank goodness I have my sourdough starter though. Happy baking!
Stefano says
Dear Rowena,
I managed to source my flour from Molino Rossetto (online shop, even though they temporarily stopped the orders last week) and from Tibiona (they have Caputo flours, one of my favourites). Tibiona ships in 2 weeks, but at least they still have flours available.
Happy baking,
Stefano