In Italian markets it is offered in large loaves with a dark crust and coarse pores. This is my interpretation. A brew piece ensures a long shelf life and necessary moisture. Very little yeast is used and the dough is given plenty of time. I oriented myself to baguette recipes. To get the typical coarse pores there is an addition of sourdough. I have been baking the Maggiore since I started to deal more intensively with bread baking. It is my first bread, back then at a much lower level and now my standard repertoire, so to speak.

For the pre-dough, weigh the water and add the yeast in an almost hemopathic dose. Stir and mix in the weighed flour. The dough should be mushy. If necessary, add a little more water. The pre-dough is kept in the heat for an hour and then disappears in the refrigerator for 48 hours with this recipe.

For the broth, bring the water to the boil and pour it over the flour while it is still boiling and mix well. The brewery should have at least six hours to take effect. But even here it is possible to put it in the refrigerator for 24 hours after it has cooled down. There's no hurry for a brew.

Main dough: weigh the water and stir in the yeast. Add the flour, the pre-dough, the sourdough mixture and the stock and the salt. Malt and honey are food for the sourdough - also in it. Mix the whole thing well with the food processor in 5 minutes. Since there is a really large amount of dough, my machine is too small for this, so I cut the dough in half when it is mixed. So after 5 minutes divide the dough into 2 halves and knead separately for 10 minutes. At the end of this time, bring the two halves back together on a lightly floured work surface and continue kneading by hand for a few minutes and mix the dough halves well together again. The dough then rests for 1.5 hours and is stretched and folded again every 30 minutes. Now put it in a large bowl with a lid in the refrigerator for at least 48 to 72 hours.

After the three days, ideally preheat the oven to 250 ° C with a baking stone. Unfortunately, I only have 230 ° C, so I'll just take it. Heat with a baking stone for at least 45 minutes. Allow the dough to acclimate and shape the bread and grind it round. Let it rest for another 30 minutes and then cut into it and put it in the oven. When it's in the oven, reduce the heat to 230 ° C and make a lot of steam. After 10 minutes no more steam and turn down the heat to 210 ° C. Bake for a total of 60 minutes. If the crumb is to be crispy, I give it another burst of steam for the last 5 minutes. The crust will then be crispy and shiny.

One more word about the long cooking and resting times. They certainly scare off one or the other. We come from a world that is getting faster and faster and we are used to getting everything immediately. With bread, this attitude has led to a cul-de-sac in terms of taste and quality. For professional reasons, I too have little time. I have tried to design my recipes in such a way that they can be integrated into today's working world. If you try this recipe you will quickly notice that the individual steps are not that time-consuming. Most of the time the dough spends on its own and doesn't want to be disturbed. Once you have a certain routine, the individual steps are straightforward. I usually make pre-dough, sourdough and pieces of cooking in connection with other kitchen work - it's all a question of planning. Only the day on which the main dough is made requires a certain amount of time. But the result makes up for it in quality and taste.