Aesthetically, this loaf was not my finest hour. 😂 That said, it is positively delicious and I learned something I will definitely add to other loaves I bake.
This is Country Italian sourdough from Maurizio Leo’s The Perfect Loaf cookbook (a recent James Beard Award winner). It utilizes an overnight stiff starter as the leavening agent, includes durum flour in the mix, and adds a wheat bran topping on the loaf before it’s placed in the banneton for the final proof. No overnight cold retard needed for this loaf - it is meant to be baked same day.
The crust, thanks to the added bran, is delightfully crunchy. The crumb is moist, tender and positively delicious. That bran topping is a bit of a game changer for me. So simple and a great way to add a different finish to the crust that I hope to use with many other loaves in the future.
A friend who saw this bake after returning from a trip to Italy remarked that it looked exactly like the bread they ate everywhere while there. Give this one a try - you’ll thank yourself for doing so! 😃
