Recipe – Starter mayo

• Chef Sara Papa – Recipe for starter mayo

What is Maiaua?

Sourdough, also called Mother Dough, Sour Dough, Acid Yeast, Mother Yeast or Natural Yeast (in English – sourdough; in French – levain) is a Dough made of water and flour, left to mature spontaneously, in the ambient environment, for a certain period of time.
Microorganisms present in flour, water and air reproduce and begin to ferment, giving rise to a natural fermentation and leavening agent, which is used in leavened doughs (bread, muffins, biscuits...) and can be in liquid or solid form.
Mayo or Natural Yeast is currently experiencing a renaissance, being increasingly rediscovered and reused in the bakery and pastry sector, as it was done in the past.

The beginning mayo

The mayo we will talk about here is that mixture of flour and water, which, after several days of "growth" or preparation, will acquire a sufficient and necessary degree of acidity, conferred by a complex of yeasts and lactic bacteria, thus being in measure to activate the fermentation of the doughs.
Unlike brewer's yeast, which consists mainly of colonies of fungi called Saccharomyces cerevisiae, natural Yeast / Maia contains different species of fungi, Saccharomyces and Candida, but also various lactic bacteria such as Pediococcus, Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus and Weissella.
The human body is inhabited by millions of beneficial bacteria, and those present in Natural Yeast / Maia are part of this family of bacteria useful in maintaining the harmony and balance of the human body.

The advantage of products made with Maia

A great advantage of the products made with natural Yeast / Maia consists in the fact that they are preserved much better and for a longer period of time, thanks to:
– the high degree of acidity in Maia, which inhibits the development of molds;
- the enzymatic action of Maia, which slows down the reaggregation of starch;
- the production of exopolysaccharides by lactic bacteria, which act on the texture of the products as a stabilizer, thus avoiding the need to use food additives.

Recipe signed by Sara Papa

From a nutritional point of view, it should be emphasized that the use of natural yeast (Maya) gives the products a better digestibility due to the longer fermentation time and bacterial action, a lower glycemic index and a reduced degree of intolerance to certain substances (gluten, yeasts ).

The recipe for Maia or Natural Yeast, which we present here, is taken from the book "Lievito madre vivo"
(Yeast-living mother), signed by Sara Papa, expert in bakery products with mayo, courtesy of the publisher © 2015 Gribaudo – IF – Idee editoriali Feltrinelli srl Socio Unico Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Editore srl Via Andegari, 6 – 20121 Milano

How to make starter mayo

You only need water and flour to "tame" and grow the "wild yeast", necessary for a tasty bread.
To begin with, you need flour and water, in the following quantities: 200 g of flour type 650, milled with stones (an important detail but not mandatory) and water between 100 and 120 g.
Mix the flour with water until you get a homogeneous consistency. Shape the dough into a round and let it rest in a container covered with cling film or a clean, damp cloth. Place the bowl in a protected place for about 72 hours or until you notice that the mixture is fermenting.
Keep in mind that in late spring, summer, or early fall, when it's warmer, fermentation can take up to 24 hours.

The first feeds

The first feeding or feeding, as some specialists call it, will take place in the evening. For this, take 100 g of the middle part of the fermented dough and mix it, in another container, with 200 g of flour and 100 g of water, leaving it to rest for 24 hours.
The remaining mayo will be discarded as it is not active. Make one such feeding per day four more times, using the same procedure. Throw away the excess each time. From the sixth day, feed one every 12 hours.

The sour smell

You have to keep in mind that for the first few days the mayo will have an acidic smell and a less appealing appearance. It is normal, because at this stage the beneficial microorganisms are in competition with the bad ones. Basically, a natural selection takes place. For this reason, the supply is made with a quantity of flour twice as large as the quantity of yeast selected.
By doing this, we basically provide more food for the bacteria and yeast.

How do we know the mayo is ready?

Continue feeding with the above procedure until the yeast reaches maturity or until you can no longer smell the sourness. A mature yeast should triple its volume in 4 hours at a temperature of about 28 °C.
Important! Each time a new feed is made, the remaining part is thrown away. You may say that it is a shame to throw these pieces away, but only in this way we manage to: select the natural yeast microflora, inactivate the unwanted microorganisms and feed the active and beneficial ones with new flour.

The last feeding and how we use the mayo

Assuming that our mayo weighs 300 g, we add 300 g of flour and 150 g of water. We mix gently, from bottom to top, as we mix whipped egg whites. At this point the mayo is ready to use.
About 250/300 g of the mayo prepared above will be stored in the refrigerator, for a maximum of 4-5 days, at 4-5°Celsius, in a tall and tight container, covered with a lid without a hermetic closure, until the next use . The low temperature will slow down the fermentation, which will still continue in the cold.
We will use the rest of the prepared mayo to prepare bread, as follows: shape it round, by hand, apply a cut in the sign of a cross to the upper part and leave it to rise, in a bowl, covered with linen cloth or cotton, in the leavening room, until the composition doubles in volume.
Before using the mayo in the dough, we remove the crust that may form on the surface of the mayo. Now we can make our first mayo bread.
For the bread dough, we will use on average 250-300 g of natural yeast per kilogram of flour.
The amount of Maia kept cold, in the refrigerator, will be prepared in the same way for subsequent baking.

What do feedings help?

Even if we don't use it, the natural yeast must be fed to keep the correct relationship between the microorganisms; the purpose of feeding, which consists in the addition of water and flour, is to feed the microorganisms, which will thus start a new fermentation.
By feeding, we also eliminate situations in which the bread ferments a little and acquires an acidic flavor.
To eliminate this inconvenience, it is necessary to stimulate and revitalize, with a certain frequency, the alcoholic fermentation, feeding the yeast at least every 4-5 days, to guarantee its vitality. It is necessary to add flour, in an amount equal to the weight of the yeast, and water (40-50% of the added flour); thus the microorganisms, fed, will pave the way for a new fermentation.

How do we keep mayo alive?

Once prepared, the mayo is kept alive only by successive feedings of flour and water, in order to constantly feed the microorganisms from which it is formed and to favor their reproduction.
The simplest method to keep natural yeast alive is to use it often.

What does a mature and quality Mayan look like

1 – to have a uniform color;
2 – to have a sweet-acidic taste and smell, but without residual taste;
3 – to have a soft and fluffy consistency, with long alveoli;
4 – not to be sticky;
5 – to reach maturity in 4-5 hours, at an ambient temperature of 25-26°C.
It is considered that the yeast has "passed fermentation" when: it has an acid / bitter taste, gray color, acid / pungent smell.

How important flour is in the feeding process

It is important that the feeding is done every time with the same flour, to guarantee the consistency of the leaven. By changing the type of flour, the balance of the original yeast microflora would be altered. Even so, it is important to constantly check the quality of the yeast, the level of acidity and the stage of maturation. It is also important to check its temperature, which should be between 25 and 30°C. Maintaining an adequate level of acidity allows to guarantee a correct balance between lactic and acetic acid.

How do we fix if something went wrong

It is important to know how to identify possible defects of natural yeast; that way, if something goes wrong, we'll be able to fix it.

How do we know if our yeast is strong and healthy?

We introduce it into the water: if it sinks to the bottom, and after 20 minutes it rises to the surface, it means that it is perfect, but if it immediately rises to the surface, it means that it is not resistant.

• If when it is crushed it remains intact, it means that it is very acidic: in this case the dough crumbles. A high acidity breaks the bond between the proteins of the flour, which thus loses its elasticity. A yeast that is too acidic can also be felt by the smell. Excessive acidity occurs when the composition ferments excessively: in short, when we abandon it and "pass fermentation".

• If the yeast is too acidic and bitter, put it in a container with water for a short time; water, rich in oxygen and greedy for acidity, catalyzes the acid produced during excessive fermentation and disperses it (unfortunately, a good part of the "beneficial" microorganisms will also disperse in the water).

• Cut the yeast into slices and soak it for 15-20 minutes in water at 28-30°C, with 1% of its weight in sugar, then squeeze it. Mix it with two parts flour, 45% water at 22°C and let it rise at about 27°C, or until it triples in volume.

• If the yeast is actually compromised, remove it from the liquid, weigh it and make a feed by doubling the amount of flour, mixing 42-45% water to the added flour, 10% sugar and a yolk, which adds essential amino acids for bacteria to grow lactic acid, reducing acidity.

For example, to a yeast that weighs 200 g, you need to add about 400 g of flour, 170 g of water, a yolk and 10 g of sugar.

Ideal ripening temperature

Temperature and humidity have a significant influence on the characteristics of the yeast. The ideal maturation takes place at 27°C, in a fermentation room.

It is important to keep this temperature range in order to obtain a suitable degree of acidity of the dough and to obtain a perfect balance between the two acids produced during the maturation of the yeast, lactic acid and acetic acid.

Each microorganism carries out its own metabolism in a certain range of temperatures. If they vary suddenly or inopportunely, some microorganisms will develop to the detriment of others, which will be inhibited. Changing the temperature therefore means selecting the microflora from the yeast.

You can read more details about the advantages of bread with mayo in the article Mayo bread.

Mayo bread recipes

• Bread with mayo, enriched with dehydrated tomatoes and Provence herbs
• Bread with natural mayo

Article made by Redaccia Arta Albă.