I found a recipe for a bread called Pane Valle Maggia. According to the author, it comes from Lugano in the southern part of Switzerland, and it’s a bread with a lot of taste that goes well with charcuterie like salami and dry-cured ham.
That’s my type of bread, I said to myself.
Besides, It looked quite easy to do.
The original recipe called for both sourdough starter and commercial yeast, but I wanted to try with sourdough starter only.
But then I made some calculations and realized that the hydration was about 80%, and I understood that it wouldn’t be that easy.
Now, I have baked with high hydration like 80% before, but to make it work, I always have to add stronger flour, something I’m not that fond of.
My favorite wheat flour has a protein content of 11%, but I always have a bag of stronger flour with a protein content of 13%, just in case.
But I use it sparingly because I’m not that fond of the gummy texture it provides in the bread.
But baking bread with 80% hydration with my preferred flour only is a real challenge, and I have to confess that I’m not that good.
At least not yet.
So I decided to make a compromise.
If I lower the hydration to 76% it will work just fine I said to myself.
It didn’t.
PANE VALLE MAGGIA: PART 1
My first try to bake Pane Valle Maggia was a disaster. The bread was flat as a frisbee.
I realized that I was in trouble already when I tried to shape the loaf. The dough was VERY wet and loose, which surprised me because 76% hydration is not that much. I have baked with that hydration before with no problems.
Was it perhaps the rye flour that was the problem? It only had a protein content of 8%. But on the other hand, it only had a bakers percentage of 19%.
I decided to try again. But this time I lowered the hydration to 71%.
The result was a bit better, but not good. The dough was still very wet and loose, resulting in a bread that was quite flat, as you can see in the picture below.
Now I was puzzled. 71% hydration is not much at all, not even for a weak flour. Something weird was going on, but I could not figure out what it was.
I found the answer the next day while I was doing something completely different. I was measuring up some water for another recipe when I realized that my scale was going berzerk. It was showing completely wrong figures. So the scale was the culprit, not the flour or anything else. Damn it, that scale managed to lower my self-confidence a bit.
Why am I telling you all this you may ask. Well, it reminded me that it’s a good idea to check your technical equipment from time to time.
We have a tendency to trust what we read on the displays a little bit too much.
Take my refrigerator for example. It’s set to hold a temperature of 40ºF/4ºC.
But if I measure the temperature with a thermometer, it will show 40ºF/4ºC in the lower part of the fridge, and 43ºF/6ºC in the top.
That is perhaps not an issue if you are aware of it, but if you are planning to perform a bulk fermentation in the fridge, it can be quite important.
Especially if the dough contains high amounts of whole wheat or rye that has a tendency to ferment quicker, even in a cold environment.
PART 2
But let’s go back to the Pane Valle Maggia. After I had bought a new scale, it was time for a new attempt with this bread.
I decided to try with 76% hydration again, and I also added some stronger flour.
ABOUT FLOUR AND STARTER
Below you will find the amount of flour and starter used for this recipe.
- 400 grams of wheat flour with 11% protein content.
- 100 grams of wheat flour with 13% protein content.
- 140 grams whole rye flour with 8.5% protein content.
- 85 grams wheat sourdough starter with 100% hydration.
I took out the starter and fed it 7 hours before it was time to mix the dough.
MIXING THE DOUGH
I mixed all the flour with water and let the dough autolyze for an hour. After the autolyze, I added sourdough starter and salt and mixed everything thoroughly with my hand. I use to grab the dough and pinch it with my fingers repeatedly until I have distributed the starter into the dough.
The dough felt different this time. It almost felt a bit stiff, and I played with the idea of adding some more water.
But in the end, I decided to stick with the initial plan.
BULK FERMENTATION
At the beginning of the bulk fermentation, I performed 4 sets of stretch and folds, spaced out by 30 minutes. If the dough still feels easy to stretch, you can do a few more sets. But don’t overdo it. If the dough starts to feel tense, it’s time to stop and let it rest for the remaining part of the fermentation.
You can watch this video if you want to know more about how to stretch and fold.
Total time for bulk fermentation was 5 hours at a temperature of about 79ºF/26ºC. I let the dough expand 30-40% in volume. It’s easy to check if you have a transparent container or a bowl with measuring lines.
SHAPING
I preshaped the dough into a round with my bench knife and let it rest for 15 minutes. I use the technique shown in this video.
Most Pane Valle Maggia I have seen has the shape of a boule, so I decided to give my bread that shape as well.
I use the technique in this video from Weekend Bakery most of the time.
But if you prefer to shape the dough to a Batard, feel free to do so.
PROOFING
I placed the loaf in a lined and floured banneton, wrapped it up in a plastic bag and let it proof for 18 hours in my refrigerator.
But what about the temperature? Remember that I told you that my fridge has a different temperature between the top and the lower parts.
Well in the middle the temperature is about 41ºF/5ºC, so I placed the loaf there.
Remember that you have to be a bit flexible about the time. 18 hours was enough for this loaf. Your loaf may need more or less proofing time depending on temperature and lots of other factors. The finger poke test is a good indicator if it’s ready.
BAKE
I Preheated the oven to 480ºF / 250ºC.
Most of the times I bake on a baking stone with a stainless steel hood that covers the loaf. I find that to be the best way to capture the steam generated from the dough. A dutch oven works great as well.
After 15 minutes I removed the hood, lowered the temperature to 430ºF / 220ºC, and let it bake for an additional 35 minutes.
Although the fermentation period was quite long, I did not experience the bread as sour. There is a certain tang, but not very much.
This does not mean that there is no taste. Sourdough bread with long fermentation always delivers a lot of flavors. In addition, this Pane Valle Maggia contains rye flour that always gives flavorful bread.
The crumb of this Pane Valle Maggia is not very open, but it’s not dense either. Perhaps I could have pushed the hydration upwards a bit and got a more open crumb, but for me this crumb is great. And yes, it goes very well with salami.
Pane Valle Maggia
Ingredients
- 140 gram whole rye flour 8% protein content
- 400 gram Wheat flour 11% protein content
- 100 gram Wheat flour 13% protein content
- 480 gram water
- 85 gram sourdough starter 100% hydration
- 12 gram salt
Instructions
- Mix all the flour with water and let the dough autolyze for an hour.
- Add sourdough starter and salt and mix into the dough.
- Perform 4-5 stretch and folds spaced out by 30 minutes. Let the dough rest until it has expanded 30-40% in volume.
- Dump out the dough gently on a working surface. Preshape the dough into a round and let it rest for 15 minutes. Shape into a batard and place it in a lightly floured banneton. Place it into the refrigerator for the final rise.
- Proofing time depends on many factors so be flexible. Observe and touch the dough instead of looking at the clock. The finger poke test is a good indicator.
- Preheat the oven to 480ºF / 250ºC.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes on an oven plate or baking stone or a dutch oven. Add some steam if you don't have anything to cover the loaf with. You may have to lower the heat to 430ºF / 220ºC after 20-40 minutes.
- Let the bread cool on wire racks.
