Flour Mix for Starter
- 30% spring wheat flour
- 30% hard red wheat flour
- 30% spelt flour
- 10% rye flour
- Water, distilled or spring, warm for refreshments around 30°C / 86°F
- Pinch of diastatic malt, optional
- Fruit build option: 50 g apple or raisin, or 1 tbsp honey, with 50 g water
Development & Maintenance
- Initial build: Start with about 200 g dough at about 65% hydration. Mix flour blend with optional malt, add water and knead smooth. Shape a tight ball, dust lightly and place covered in a dark spot.
- First fermentation: Rest 22–24 hours at about 26°C / 79°F. Dust away dried crust, retaining the active core. Weigh about 200 g to refresh.
- Refresh cycle: Blend the piece with warm water around 30°C / 86°F until smooth; add fresh flour from the same blend. Knead, shape and ferment about 24 hours at 27°C / 81°F. Repeat daily until the starter doubles or triples within 4–6 hours.
- Fruit-based option: Blend 50 g fruit or 1 tbsp honey with 50 g water; mix into 200 g flour. Cover loosely and rest about 48 hours at 28°C / 82°F. Remove crust and refresh with equal flour and half water by weight.
- Maintenance: Refresh before using. For short breaks, wrap and refrigerate up to one week; revive with one or two warm refreshments. For frequent baking, keep warm with 4–12 hour refreshments depending on activity.
Wrap & Legatura Schedule for Panettone Prep
Use with a stiff LM at 45–50% hydration. Cloth binding moderates acid, strengthens the gluten network and encourages a sweet aroma.
- Optional bagnetto: Submerge starter slices in cool water, 18–20°C, with a pinch of sugar for 15–20 minutes. Drain, squeeze gently and refresh.
- Three warm refreshments: 1:1 starter to flour at 45–50% hydration. Ferment each 3.5–4.5 hours at 26–28°C until near doubling.
- Legatura overnight: Wrap tightly in clean cloth, tie and rest 8–10 hours at 18–20°C. Next morning it should be firm, fragrant and ready for primo impasto.
Aim for sweet aroma, low tang and strong elasticity.
Refresh Ratio Helper
Enter starter to refresh, current hydration, target hydration and flour-per-starter feed ratio.
| Flour to add | — |
| Water to add | — |
| Total after refresh | — |
| Inoculation | — |
| Ratio | — |
Sweet Dough Pre-Build / Panettone Calculator
Plan the LM build for rich doughs. Choose total flour, prefermented flour %, LM hydration and inoculation level.
| Target preferment flour | — |
| Target preferment water | — |
| Target preferment total | — |
| Seed LM needed | — |
| Add flour | — |
| Add water | — |
| Seed : flour : water | — |
For enriched doughs, perform 2–3 warm refreshments before the pre-build and keep acids low with legatura and timely feeds.
