Lievito Madre (2024)

Bread making traditions in Italy commonly start with a sourdough starter called “pasta madre” or “lievito madre”. This is a firm sourdough starter maintained at around 50% hydration and is continuously propagated with daily refreshments. The wet style starter is not so typical with professionals but has shown some adoption in modern times, mostly by home bakers but also with particular commercial operations. Maintenance and the specific parameters of the “madre” vary according to the practice of the maestro but is typically rebuilt at a 1:1 (madre:flour) ratio at least once a day.

Characterised by a microbiota consisting of yeasts (Kazachstania / Saccharomyces) and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) of which the typically dominant species Fructilactobacillus sanfranciscensis (formerly Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis) is hetero-fermentative and produces lactic acid, acetic acid, ethanol and CO₂.

Warm temperatures above 25°C promote the ideal balance of acids; 4 parts lactic to 1 part acetic ideal for sweet leavened pastries. At cool room temperatures a balance of 3:1 (lactic:acetic) is ideal for bread.

Conservation / Maintenance:

To ensure viability, the madre should be rebuilt at least once a day while being held at a temperature of 15-18°C. Or once a week if refrigerated to around 4°C.

There are two common techniques for the conservation during this period.

• Bound. The lievito madre is wrapped in cloth and tied with rope.
• In water. The lievito madre is placed directly into a bowl of cold water.

When conserved in a volume of water the LM will rise to the surface and be exposed to the air (more aerobic conditions) however, acidity accumulates more slowly as it is lost to the surrounding water. Conversely the binding method creates an anaerobic environment which stimulates hetero-lactic fermentation and can lead to higher levels of acidity, however as the generated CO₂ is trapped the pH decreases more rapidly and limits bacterial growth.

Rinfreschi / “Refreshments” :

For production the madre is “refreshed” by adding flour and water and allowed to leaven at temperatures between 25-30°C the ideal being 27/28°C for approx. 3-4 hours. This may be done one or more times in succession. This operation allows the baker to build enough mass to leaven large batches of dough. Normally the madre is refreshed once or twice before making bread. But more enriched doughs like Panettone may require at least three or more refreshments to leaven correctly. Importantly after building the leaven a piece is reserved, and is allowed to rise slowly overnight, this becomes the new mother for the next day.

Refreshed LM pH optimum: 4.1-4.5. But will vary according to formula and maintenance method.

Lavaggio – “Washing” / Bagnetto:

After the overnight rise or any long period of storage the madre may be washed to remove excess acidity and revitalise the yeasts. Referred to as ‘lavaggio’ or ‘bagnetto’ this technique involves slicing or breaking the madre into small pieces about 1cm thick and placing them into a bath of sweetened water. To prepare the bagnetto table sugar is added at a dose of 2g/L to a volume of water at least 3 times the mass of the madre. The dough pieces are allowed to soak for typically around 20-30 minutes before being wrung out and weighed and mixed with flour and water in accordance with a refresh.

The typical temperature of the water used is about 20°C as per Massari and others. But the bath may also be done using very warm (38°C) water as is the case according to the methods described by Rolando Morandin.

Typical daily build procedure:

0930 Mother (pH 3.7-4.1), lavaggio (20 minutes)
1000 Refresh
1400 Refresh
1800 Refresh – Storage, 12-16hrs @ 15-18°C

More info:

Il rinfresco del lievito madre (Alfonso Pepe) | ItaliaSquista
Lievito madre, ricetta di Iginio Massari | Dissapore

A selection of articles from DolceSalato: Text in Italian:

1. Natural yeast: from theory to practice (Part I)
2. Natural yeast: from theory to practice (Part II)
3. Natural yeast: from theory to practice (Part III)
4. Natural yeast: from theory to practice (Part IV)

• A lesson in yeast
• The secrets of levitation
• Ingredients under the lens
• Lievito Madre in Croissants and large leavened

Conservation method per pastry chef / baker