Ecology of life: Health. Until the end of the 19th century, mankind did not know about the existence of yeast. Nevertheless, people somehow managed without them - brewers brewed beer, and bakers baked various rolls-bagels-bread.

The ancient method of making bread

Until the end of the 19th century, mankind did not know about the existence of yeast. Nevertheless, people somehow managed without them in everyday life. And at that time, brewers brewed beer, and bakers baked various rolls, bagels, bread. All this was possible thanks to the processes of natural fermentation that were actively used at that time, launched without the participation of other organisms.

Obtaining bread sourdough, consisting of natural yeast and lactic acid, is the first and obligatory step in making bread according to the traditional old method. The natural process of flour fermentation produces carbon dioxide, thanks to which the bread dough acquires the ability to rise without the addition of cultivated yeast.

Self-grown in sourdough, yeast produces enzymes that can catalyze the process of hydrolysis in flour gluten, in other words, help break down the complex protein bonds of problematic gluten. Hydrolysis in this case is a break of long-chain bonds into shorter ones - peptides and amino acids.

Sourdough bread has other bonuses as well. Like other fermentation processes, the bacteria present in the sourdough (lactobacilli) "eat" the starch (carbohydrates) from the flour. The result is a product with a reduced content of starch (carbohydrates), which favorably affects blood sugar levels. Thus, the lactobacilli of the sourdough, with which the bread is made, not only give it a special taste and desired texture, but also turn it into a kind of “medicine”, which also promotes the healing of damaged intestinal walls. And the presence of lactic acid protects the product baked on bread sourdough from premature spoilage (development of mold).

Growth of bacteria in the amount necessary to raise a loaf of bread is a very long process and can take from 3 to 10 days. Subsequently, the finished sourdough is added to the flour along with other dough ingredients.

For a long time, this method of making bread was the only one capable of making bread dough rise. Unfortunately, with the development of large-scale industrial bakery production, this valuable method was replaced by more profitable high-speed methods of making bread and received the title of "obsolete". However, the “well-forgotten old” has recently become more and more popular, including among people who have a difficult relationship with gluten.

For reference:

Cereals, like legumes, contain phytic acid in the whole grain, but most of all in its shells. This acid combines with certain minerals present in the gut to form insoluble phytates. This prevents the absorption of minerals in our body such as zinc, iron, magnesium, copper and phosphorus (demineralization process). Fortunately, under the action of phytase (an enzyme that is activated in sourdough), phytic acid is destroyed. The higher the percentage of flour purification, the greater the content of phytic acid. The more the dough is fermented, the more time the sourdough phytase has to release minerals from its association with phytic acid. In addition, the process of dough fermentation is, as it were, a digestion process that begins outside the stomach. (Materials of Wikipedia).

The results of the studies conducted suggest that, in this form, the amino acids from gluten do not pose an equally great danger to people with intolerance or sensitivity to it. Bacteria in the process of making bread, as it were, take on the task of breaking down the gluten of wheat (or other grains) into smaller fragments, partially performing the work usually assigned to the digestive tract.

In 2011, a clinical experiment was conducted to identify the effect of the fermentation process on the breakdown of gluten in wheat flour and its effect on the body of celiac patients. The experiment involved 16 people with a diagnosis of celiac disease. All participants were divided into 3 groups. The experiment continued for 60 days. The control was carried out by markers of autoimmune reaction (blood test in the interval of 30 days and 60 days and biopsy of the small intestine at the end of the experiment). Four participants from the first group were “withdrawn from the race” because during the experiment they had symptoms of a worsening disease.

• First group It was suggested to use ordinary wheat bread.
• Second group received bread from wheat flour, prepared by the method of partial fermentation.
• Third group ate wheat bread baked according to the old method of long fermentation.

The results of the experiment were as follows:

• It was found that the amount of gluten was significantly reduced during fermentation.
• Four participants in the first group showed clinical manifestations of enteropathy during the experiment. All participants in the first group who completed the experiment showed a significant increase in autoimmune response markers. The results of the biopsy revealed significant damage to the villi of the small intestine.
• In the second group of participants, no cases of clinical deterioration were observed, but the results of a biopsy and markers of an auto-immune reaction indicated the presence of negative manifestations (inflammatory process).
• Participants in the third group showed no negative changes after 60 days, neither in the results of biopsy, nor in terms of markers of autoimmune response to celiac disease.

Thus it was The positive effect of bread sourdough on the reduction of gluten toxicity was shown.

It is still too early to judge, based on the experimental data, how dangerous (or safe) it is for people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity to include wheat bread made according to the old sourdough method in the diet. I propose to leave this problem to experimental scientists and not to experiment on yourself. But for many of us, the facts described above may interest or even inspire us to try out a new, well-forgotten old way of making sourdough bread from gluten-free cereals.

Let me remind you that We call them gluten-free conditionally, because All grains contain gluten protein. Some grains may contain more of it (“gluten-free” - wheat, rye, barley), while others (“gluten-free” millet, rice, etc., as well as non-cereal buckwheat and quinoa) - less (not such a dangerous amount) . The concept of gluten includes more than 400 types of amino acids, different in structure and degree of aggressive effect on the gastrointestinal tract and the human immune system.

Compared with the conventional method, the ancient method of making bread, based on the process of hydrolysis - the long-term fermentation of cereals, is much more useful. Not only does this bread taste good, but it helps to ease the digestive process and boost the body's immune system, thanks in part to natural pre- and probiotics.published

If you have any questions on this topic, ask them to specialists and readers of our project

I would like to write about .... I wanted to say "hack", but it would not be correct. Regarding how and when we can reduce or vice versa increase the stages of making sourdough bread, where we can simplify without prejudice, and which points should be left unchanged. There are tons of recipes for sourdough and sourdough bread on the net, and some even directly contradict each other, however, all this is a real experience that people share and say: look, this is how it works too. However, not every experience is worth adopting.

Why?

Why, when working with the test, we do it this way, and not otherwise? Let me remind you that we “build” bread dough on sourdough in stages, and it is always dough on sourdough, and then dough kneading, its subsequent fermentation, cutting, preliminary proofing (when we round the dough pieces and let them rest before shaping) molding, final proofing , incisions if necessary, and baking with steam. It may seem like too much fuss, but we want to bake delicious beautiful bread, to achieve the best result, so I personally try not to skip anything that needs to be done with the dough. All this is called “technology”, “method”, but in fact there is a method that arose for a reason, but based on the physical and chemical properties of the components and their ability to influence each other: flour, water, yeast / sourdough, salt, sugar , oils and other additives.

Understanding the processes that occur with the test, imagining what is what for and what happens at each stage, if necessary, you can simplify the work with minimal losses. Let's start in order.

1) Opara on sourdough.

I usually put it on overnight so I can get to work in the morning, and I try to use it when it is not fully ripe, swollen, and lush, but not overripe and not sour much (you can read about this method in the article about). What to do if you can’t knead the dough right now? You can put the refrigerator in the dough and calmly transgress to the test when there is an opportunity. It can stand in the refrigerator for several hours, depending on the temperature and degree of maturity, this will be enough for you to finish things, finalize the work, feed, put the children to bed and, finally, do what you love))

2) Autolysis.

I got into the habit of kneading with autolysis, this is especially true for whole-grain dough, which needs time for bran germs to swell in addition to protein and gluten to begin to form. I mix the sourdough, water and flour in the dough mixer, cover it so that the dough does not dry out, and leave it for 20 minutes. Note that white flour dough without the presence of sourdough can rest for 40 minutes, or even an hour, sourdough dough needs much less time, because lactic and other acids present in the sourdough contribute to the rapid swelling of the protein. White flour dough, in general, can be kneaded without autolysis, but with whole grains it is better not to neglect. But what if you do not have time to come to the test after 20 minutes of autolysis? If you delay for 10-15 minutes - it's okay, but if more, take a second and put the dough in the refrigerator. The low temperature will slow down the enzymes that break down the gluten, and you can move on to kneading when the opportunity arises. But if you assume in advance that you will not be able to approach the dough in due time, mixing it, add salt. It will somewhat slow down the swelling of the protein, but it will also slow down the enzymes. And in the fridge! And if you put the dough in the refrigerator, keep in mind that it will ferment slowly until it warms up.

3) Kneading.

I don’t even know what to say here, if you knead with your hands, then you are just talking about machine and manual kneading. If you are too lazy to knead - knead with folding, periodic short approaches to the dough or during active kneading, let the dough rest for 5 minutes to relax the gluten, this is a very good way. And here it is important to remember that it is better to under-knead than to knead, maybe the bread will turn out not so magnificent, but tasty - for sure. By the way, you can read about mixing and why bread turns out to be tasteless because of it in this article.

4) Introduction of additives and oils.

You can throw in seeds, raisins and nuts at the beginning of the kneading, but then these additives will make it difficult for the dough to develop gluten, because they will tear it during kneading. Even bread machines are designed to make all kinds of additives towards the end of the batch, when the dough is already formed. Likewise with oil.

5) Fermentation and proofing.

With fermentation, there are many options. Sourdough dough is convenient because it ferments for a long time and while it ferments, you can do a lot of things and even take a walk or go to the store with your children. To speed up the process, you can put it in a warmer place and if you have Proofer Brod&Taylor, this is very simple to do, the temperature is set there and is stably maintained until you change it. If you want to increase the fermentation time, the refrigerator will help you, the dough can stand there for a long time, up to 8 hours, and grow slowly. Likewise with the final proofing. If you bake several loaves in turn, while one is baking, the second, so as not to stand still, can be hidden in the refrigerator and so hold out until baking.

6) Preliminary proofing.

You can skip this stage, but in order to qualitatively form the workpiece, it is better to do it. Why is it needed at all? You divide the dough into pieces to make two or more loaves, round up, and let the dough rest a bit. On the one hand, why not immediately form and put the dough in? Pre-proofing will allow you to mold better. By rounding the pieces, you already give them the correct shape, and by allowing the gluten to relax on the rest, you get the opportunity to mold it tighter, while maintaining the internal structure of the dough and the bubbles in it. Bread formed in this way holds its shape better during proofing and baking and is more fluffy and rounded. Tense gluten can tear during tension, and the dough can resist (try to separate the dough and roll it out right after the active kneading, it will resist and shrink), and if you let the gluten relax a little, you can do whatever is good with it. Similarly and relatively, if you do not divide the dough, bake one loaf of them all.

7) The only thing you can't cheat with is baking and moisturizing.

The baking temperature must be high enough. If you initially choose a low or insufficiently heated oven, the workpiece will float and will not be very lush, if you overcook, the bread will burn and the crumb will be too dry. With steam at the beginning of baking, it is similar, if there is too much moisture and moistening is too long (longer than 15 minutes), the cuts will not open and will be equal to the crust, and the crust will turn out smooth and shiny.

Recently, I happened to visit a local bakery, where they recently started baking sourdough bread. Before I tell you how they do it, I will say that their bread is really delicious. So, bakers, in order to optimize production, skip the fermentation process before baking, knead the dough, immediately form it and put it on proofing.

On the one hand, how to wander after kneading, fold in an envelope, strengthen gluten, dance with a tambourine? And so, production costs. On the one hand, it somehow turns out wrong, but there is a big difference between what professional bakers do by skipping fermentation and us, amateur novice bakers. They know and understand what and why they do and have excellent bread as a result, and practice, as you know, is the criterion of truth. But if we start doing whatever we like, then we will never learn how to bake good bread and work freely with different bread dough, because without knowing the basics, there will be no sense in such work.

To be honest, I immediately tried to repeat their experience and also skip the fermentation process, but in the end it turned out badly. I didn’t wait for the bread to fit as it should (but at that time it seemed to me that it fit well)), I baked it, it turned out, in general, tasty, but flat, and this “flat” applies to both the taste and the appearance of the bread . In addition, the dough behaved somewhat differently during molding, it was too pliable and inelastic.

In the next article, since I have the opportunity to shoot in a bakery, I will tell you how professional bread production works, what equipment is used in a bakery and compare with what we can do at home. And, of course, I will tell you in more detail how local bakers got used to baking sourdough bread without fermenting it after kneading.

Remember how in childhood, in the morning, grandmothers started a huge pan with dough, then it rose for a couple of hours in a warm place near the stove, then they baked pies from it with baking sheets? Those were wonderful times! And the pies smelled so delicious, and we ate them with pleasure, because we only ate, and did not start the dough, did not roll out, did not mold and did not bake at the hot oven. Much has changed in today's environment. The yeast has become dry and instant, instead of stoves, ovens with convection and so on have appeared, and the dough is aged in ... a refrigerator. This is such a reality, but from this pies and rolls did not become worse! Now we can adapt the dough to our frantic rhythm, so as not to deny nostalgic pleasures.

So, long dough. This is a minimum of yeast, a minimum of temperature and a maximum of time, most of which the dough rises in the refrigerator. But the result is an amazing dough! It works great, fits great, bakes great, great texture! From it you can form buns, buns, rolls, brioches and even put it on pies, it is almost universal. And, most importantly, it does not require much participation from the hostess!
Category: dough .

Ingredients (for products on 1 baking sheet with a side of 60 cm):

• 450 g extra or premium wheat flour
• ¼ tsp tablespoons dry instant (instant) yeast
• 20 g sugar
• 230 ml water
• ½ tsp salt
• 30 g unscented vegetable oil + a little oil for greasing the dough container

for cooking you will need:

• bread maker with dough kneading mode (optional)
• 2 liter dough container with lid.

Cooking

When you arrive in an unknown realm, In order to learn about all the laws, You just listen to the sound of the sky, Feel the world and all its wealth with your heart.

-Confucius

Fermentation of the dough in the refrigerator

For more than a year and a half, the experiment on baking bread on dough fermented exclusively at low temperatures has been going on. The reason for such a protracted experience is surprisingly simple - it has long ceased to be an experiment, but has become inextricably woven into the fabric of life and has become dominant in the technological process of conducting a test at home.

The whole cycle of making bread from the beginning, from diluting the dough, to baking, can take 5 days, and this is not the limit. The previously used methods, which require less than a day or a little longer in time, are still applicable and work perfectly, but now they are more suitable in those cases of life when, after a long absence, the desire to taste homemade bread from a starving person is such that there is no longer any strength to wait.

background

And if so, then why not try and let these northerners carry out the entire dough fermentation process from breeding to baking? Ultimately, if there are no time limits, i.e. the speed of making bread is not a priority, so why not experiment?

Depending on the recipe, the mixed dough can be liquid (moisture content 68-72%), medium (normal) or thick (moisture content 41-45%) in consistency. Thick sourdough takes longer to ferment. Also, the consistency affects the biochemical processes occurring in the dough, for example, in a thick dough, the concentration of acetic acid increases.

readiness

The maturation of the dough, all other things being equal, occurs the faster, the greater the proportion of finished sourdough in it, the higher the temperature and the thinner the consistency. Approximately with a proportion of 1 sourdough: 3 flour and a temperature of 5-6 ° C, one and a half, maximum two days is enough for good fermentation.

To determine the readiness of the dough, you should not focus only on the time indicated in the recipe. Mature dough is usually determined by the increased volume, and the moment when the risen dough begins to fall is considered ideal for moving on to dough preparation.

Rye dough, depending on the consistency, increases in volume in different ways - the liquid one grows more in comparison with the thick one, but, in any case, good internal loosening occurs - the dough becomes finely porous, “nostrilous”.

Ready-made wheat dough can be externally identified by the presence of swollen or already burst bubbles on the surface, and cavities with air are visible inside, which, when scooped, are stretched by many thin threads. A thick wheat dough will, like rye dough, show less surface signs of fermentation, while a thin one will show a kind of surface effervescence. But it is not always worth expecting abundant bubbling from liquid dough on wheat flour during fermentation in the refrigerator, as happens at warm temperatures, because. yeast activity in cold conditions is greatly slowed down, namely they are the main producers of carbon dioxide.

Dough

Essentially, all the steps taken up to this point are aimed at increasing the proportion of bacteria and yeast fermented nutrient mixture - sourdough, which usually consists only of flour and water.

At this stage, all the ingredients necessary for the final product are added to the finished dough, which may include: salt, sugar, fats (vegetable and animal oils), seeds, dried fruits, eggs, spices, essences, etc.

Cooking

Spices (salt and sugar) must be thoroughly dissolved in water before adding to the dough. Seeds and dried fruits are usually pre-soaked in warm water for half an hour or an hour.

Liquid and water-soluble components are added to the dough and mixed. Next, the sifted flour is added and the dough is kneaded.

Due to the structural and rheological (viscoelastic properties of the dough) features, the kneading process is different for rye and wheat dough. Rye dough needs a short kneading to obtain a homogeneous viscous plastic mixture. Wheat dough requires a longer exposure and intensity of effort. In wheat dough, it is important to develop a single gluten (spongy-mesh) frame. For a tentative comparison, kneading rye dough with your hands will take 1 minute, while wheat dough should be given at least 5 minutes.

readiness

The fermentation rate of the dough is largely determined by the maturity of the dough, or rather, the amount and degree of activity of its microflora. A strong, well-fermented dough gives a noticeable rise in the dough already after 12 hours of fermentation, during the day, with an intermediate punch, the dough can rise twice, each time increasing by 2-4 times. The degree of rise is influenced by different conditions: temperature (in the cold 2-4 ° C are significant), the proportions of dough: dough, consistency, yield and type of flour, moon phase, and so on.

The duration of the dough fermentation depends on what properties are required to be obtained in the final product. According to the rule of thumb, in order for the dough to ripen and at the same time not lose its ability to form sugar, the fermentation time should be at least 1 day and not more than 1.5 days. If the specified optimum is exceeded in the test, acidity increases due to the vital activity of lactic acid bacteria and under the action of flour enzymes its structural and rheological properties change - it begins to unacceptably blur and has a mild rise during baking

At the same time, bread baked from dough that has undergone a long fermentation is to some extent dietary, saturated with valuable microelements and easier to digest, as a result of prolonged processes of decomposition of complex carbohydrates (amylolysis) and proteins (proteolysis) into simpler substances, which is essential for people with disorders in the digestive system.

Be that as it may, low temperature contributes to the slow swelling of the dough and delays most of the negative phenomena. Therefore, due to life circumstances, if it is impossible to follow the planned schedule, the dough fermenting in the cold will forgive delays of up to several days, while maintaining an acceptable quality for making bread. If, on the contrary, it is required to speed up the process of maturation of the dough, for example, in conditions when the appearance of the dough is not yet sufficiently ready, and baking is planned in a day, then you can perform the main dough batch, then let it rest for 15 minutes in heat and knead again for a short time dough, then remove for fermentation in the refrigerator. A further more radical acceleration of maturation is an increase in the fermentation temperature.

It should be borne in mind that the addition of certain ingredients at different percentages can have both a stimulating and inhibitory effect on the vital activity of microorganisms in the test:

For example, the fermentation of pastry dough with a high content of sugar and fat will at first be extremely slowed down, but little by little, as the microorganisms adapt to new conditions and the osmotic pressure decreases due to the absorption of sugar, it will increase.

Mixing and kneading

To promote a more complete and uniform fermentation, intermediate mixing of the sourdough and punching (chopping) of the dough can. It is enough to perform such short repeated kneadings of the dough once in the middle or after 2/3 of the estimated time allotted for the fermentation process.

When mixing and punching, aeration occurs, the end products of the microflora metabolism are redistributed and part of the volatile substances are removed from the dough, a large concentration of which can be a deterrent for the further active life of the microflora.

It makes sense to perform a knock-down 1-2 times when making bread with wheat flour of the highest grades in order to improve the structure of the dough and get a surprisingly tender, like a fluffy crumb.

cutting

Cutting can be done immediately after the end of the fermentation of the dough or give it some time to warm it up. Each case has its own nuances.

Wheat dough with high moisture is easier to divide and form while still cold, which greatly simplifies these operations. It is better to divide the steep wheat dough into parts, let them warm up and only then proceed to shaping and proofing. Without warming, the formed stiff dough may not have time to turn into a homogeneous state during the proofing time, and after baking, folding points will be noticeable inside.

When working with rye dough for hearth bread, you need to be very careful, because. with excessive warming, its strong liquefaction occurs - the dough begins to blur during proofing and the rise during baking is extremely small. For molded rye, everything is exactly the opposite - it should be given a couple of hours to warm up before molding and another hour and a half of proofing, which makes the bread only tastier and more aromatic.

In the spirit of cold technology, proofing can be done at low temperatures, but warming the dough is much better. Proofing in heat will prepare the dough for baking and will not create a shock temperature difference. In addition, during the warming time, the temperature in the dough will gradually increase, contributing to a more active vital activity of microorganisms, especially yeast. Increasing yeast fermentation enriches the dough with various compounds (particularly B vitamins) and creates finishing touches before baking, such as increasing the volume of the dough due to increased production of carbon dioxide.

The proofing time is approximately 6-12 hours in the cold, or about 1.5-2 hours in the warming mode at a temperature of 23°C. A sign of the readiness of the dough for baking is an increase in volume. The amount of dough rise will be different, so at first, focusing on the time indicated in the recipe, you need to pay close attention to the ambient temperature, because. at a difference of 5°C, the proofing time is increased/decreased by approx. 40-60 minutes.

Bakery products

Baking is carried out in the standard mode determined for a particular product. Ideally, if you plan to make homemade bread, then you need to purchase a baking stone, and for baking fans there is nothing better than a Russian stove, well, or (in urban conditions) an oven completely lined with thermal bricks.

Cold fermented dough is able to retain more moisture, which begins to appear during baking. In such a test, when it enters the hot chamber of the furnace, with an increase in temperature, carbon dioxide actively begins to be released from the dissolved state, water and various volatile substances evaporate, and the vital activity of microorganisms increases until they begin to die at a temperature of 50 ° C and above. Such processes lead to a strong increase in the volume of the dough (up to 40%), which, with insufficient proofing in the first 15 minutes, will lead to breaks in the crust of the dough piece, simultaneously showing molding errors.

readiness

The main sign of the readiness of white bread is an intensely browned crust, which is obtained in the presence of sugars and moistness of dough pieces.

As for black (and especially custard) bread, it is better not to focus on color changes, but to rely on experience or the numbers indicated in the recipe. The impossibility of visually assessing the bakedness of the upper crust can lead to its burning, therefore, when baking for a long time in the oven, for example, rye pan bread, it is necessary to put the mold on a level lower from the upper heater and lay a baking sheet or foil between the baked product and the upper heater.

Biochemistry

The role of microorganisms in the process of dough ripening is enormous and largely determines the quality of baked bread. Strict maintenance of a certain starter management regime over a certain period of time leads to the creation of stable microbiological communities that develop effectively in the created conditions.

With a decrease in temperature, a significant slowdown in the activity of microflora occurs and, therefore, more time is required for the fermentation of the dough. Many microorganisms in cold conditions completely stop their vital activity, while others, the most hardened, continue to slowly carry out their painstaking work. The minimum threshold value is considered to be a temperature of 4°C, below which microorganisms pass into a practically inactive, dormant state.

Roughly, it is believed that a temperature change of 10°C will double or, depending on the direction, halve the fermentation time. For example, if a 2-hour dough fermentation period is indicated at a temperature of 30 ° C, then at a temperature of 20 ° C, the dough will need 4 hours for a similar maturation, and at a temperature of 10 ° C - 8 hours. This is a somewhat simplified, but quite effective way of calculating.

It is important to take into account that each temperature regime is characterized by its own distinctive internal processes that take place in the dough, and, accordingly, the result will be, almost imperceptibly, but already different bread. Therefore, taking the usual recipe as a basis, but changing the external conditions (reducing the temperature and increasing the fermentation time) can affect the aroma and taste characteristics of the final product.

Temperature model

There is very little information about the features of fermentation at low temperatures. There is general information indicating that with a decrease in temperature, the predominance of yeast growth in relation to lactic acid bacteria begins, but for which particular temperatures this statement is reliable - it is not said.

It was a great success to find one work concerning the study of the influence on the growth of two types of bacteria and one yeast of factors such as temperature, pH, and much more. The association of these strains of bacteria and yeast is considered to be well studied and most typical of traditional type 1 starter (characterized by fermentation below 30°C without the addition of baker's yeast and refreshed every 4-24 hours to maintain the activity of microorganisms).

As a result of the study, a model was created that describes the dependence of the growth of microorganisms on temperature, which is displayed on Chart A. The limiting temperature above which the growth of these strains stops, noted for lactic acid bacteria (LAB) at around 41°C, for yeast (D) - 36°C. Optimum (favorable) temperatures for growth are fixed within 32-33°C for bacteria and 27°C for yeast.

Graph B shows the ratio of the average growth rate for two types of bacteria to the growth rate of yeast.

It is noteworthy that the growth ratio of 3 (bacteria) to 1 (yeast) is approximately the same for temperatures of 5°C and 31.5°C. According to the research data, it turns out that cold (below 10°C) and hot (31-40°C) temperature conditions of the environment are much more conducive to the reproduction of bacteria in relation to yeast, while for medium temperatures this ratio is close to parity - 1.1 bacteria:1 yeast.

Here, however, it is worth making a reservation, because. nature is extremely diverse and the dough can contain completely different types of microorganisms, which differ markedly in their adaptive characteristics from the specific strains taken for study in this work. For example, thermophilic yeast species are known to have a temperature optimum of 39-45°C and some capable of growing at 47°C, therefore, in a similar way, it is quite possible to assume the existence of psychrophilic (cold-loving) analogs, which, along with bacteria, will actively grow at low temperatures.

Summary

In no way can it be said that the technology of long-term fermentation of dough at low temperatures is somehow better or worse than making bread in a shorter time. Rather, it is one of the great many options for obtaining bread with its own special qualities. Ultimately, the choice of the preferred option in each case remains a matter of taste and convenience of its implementation.

Pointer

1. B.G. Sarychev Technology and biochemistry of rye bread, 1959.
2. P.M. Plotnikov, M.F. Kolesnikov 350 varieties of bakery products, 1940.
3. L.Ya. Auerman Technology of bakery production, 2005.
4. GOST R 51785-2001 Bakery products. Terms and Definitions.
5. K. Kulp, K. Lorenz Handbook of dough fermentations, 2003.
6. M. Gobbetti, M. Gänzle Handbook on sourdough biotechnology, 2013.
7. M. Gänzle, M. Ehmann, W. Hammes Modeling of growth of Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis and candida milleri in response to process parameters of sourdough fermentation, 1998.
8. P. Reinhart Artisan breads every day, 2009.
9. S. Vogelmann Impact of process parameters on the sourdough microbiota, selection of suitable starter strains, and description of the novel yeast Cryptococcus thermophilus , 2013.

There are many options for making fermented tea online. Which recipe to take is up to you. I will tell you how I make tea, without discussing whether this is the best way or not. I leave this recipe for my friends who ask me how I ferment tea.

Collection.
Grass can be harvested all summer. But the best time, in my opinion, is May-June. At this time, the leaf is juicy, tender. While the grass has not blossomed, there is still a lot of strength in the leaf itself. The leaf is not yet coarsened, not damaged by snails and insects. It is often cool in June, and the first half of the day, when the dew has already disappeared, and there are not very many mosquitoes, it’s the most to collect.

I rip off the sheet. With one hand I hold the upper part of the stem, but not at the very top - otherwise you will break off. With one little finger of the other hand, I grab the stem so that the big thumb of the hand looks down. I run it down like a combine to the lower withered leaves, and all the leaves are in my hand. With this method of collecting a leaf, the plant remains alive.
I collect a lot. A lot because the leaf shrinks significantly during fermentation, and then it also dries out. For fermentation, we significantly deform the internal structure of the leaf so that the maximum amount of juice is released, without which fermentation will not work. Then, Ivan tea is still a herb, not a shrub, like Ceylon tea. The grass leaf is two or three times thinner. Accordingly, three times more tea is required compared to Ceylon tea for the same volume of boiling water. But it is interesting that exposure (exposure) when brewing tea takes much longer than Ceylon and Chinese teas.

Sorting.

After picking, after you get home and open the bag with the leaf at home, you can notice that the bag is warm - the leaf has warmed up in it and “hear” the delicate flower aroma of tea. It's not just the smell of green leaves. This is a complex aroma in which gentle notes of flowers, dried fruits, strawberries are guessed. Wonderful scent! This is the beginning of fermentation!
I spread the sheet on the sheet,

and then, taking several leaves, I slowly begin to sort the sheet and put a good sheet back into the bag. I inspect the leaf, paying attention to the underside of the leaf - there are often snails and insect larvae. Of course, if someone likes tea with meat, you can not bother)

Easy squeeze.
I do not leave the tea sorted and reassembled into a bag to dry, contrary to the advice of many. I consider dry-drying even harmful, because a lot of moisture is lost during drying, and on the contrary, we need this moisture. (Of course, this rule will not work if you harvested wet grass). So, I take a zhmenka leaf from a bag and lightly, trying not to damage it much, roll the leaf into a loose lump.

At the same time, the sheet shrinks a little, by itself it becomes sluggish. It will be easier for such a sheet to reach the condition when it is possible to roll the sheet for the main fermentation.

Primary cold fermentation.
I fold this slightly compressed sheet into a bag. I squeeze the bag tightly, tie it up, turn it upside down, put it in another bag. The whole thing can be squeezed even more by tying it with a rope. I leave the bag in a cool place for a day or two. You can put the bag in the refrigerator. The main thing here is that it should not be hot, otherwise the sheet will spray, “burn out”.

deep grimace
To prepare the sheet for curling, you need to achieve a uniformly wet and limp sheet. To do this, during the primary cold fermentation, at least once, the leaf must be deeply compressed. If there are a lot of raw materials. then the raw material is laid out in a basin and kneaded like ordinary dough. It is important not to damage the sheet. Knead carefully, without fanaticism. If there is not much raw material, then you can repeat the procedure of light antics, but with stronger pressure, twisting a pinch of leaves into a ball.

Twisting.
The next day, or even the next day, when you untie the bag and look at the leaf, you will see that the leaf has become even more lethargic, darkened, became wet, juice came out.

The sheet should look something like this.

Ready for twisting, I take the leaves and twist them, like from plasticine, into cigars / sausages. The main thing here is to handle the leaf gently; don't overdo it. It is important for us to extract the juice, make the leaf wet - to destroy the internal partitions of the leaf, while not destroying the leaf itself. It is important not to ruffle it into a rag. In general, any herb retains its taste better if it is less damaged. Wet and twisted into a sausage sheet does not fall apart. It looks like this.

Ramming
Then I dismantle the resulting cigar and put the sheet into a container. As the container fills, I tamp down the layers of leaves with my fist. I press hard. So the sheet is fermented better and more evenly.

Many recipes do it differently. The leaf, twisted into sausages, is folded in tight rows and left to ferment like this. I prefer to compact the sheet evenly and tightly. But this is a matter of taste.

Basic cold fermentation.
I tightly cover the dishes with a bag / lid so that moisture does not come out, and put them in the refrigerator. My wife and I noticed that the most delicious tea is obtained after slow cold fermentation. You can ferment in the cold for up to a week. The longer the tea is fermented, the deeper fermentation it achieves. The taste, of course, is different for tea with different fermentation depths. You can experiment with the depth of fermentation yourself by selecting some of the raw materials for hot drying. The finished fermented leaf will have a dark green, sometimes almost brown color.

Half fermented tea looks like this.

Hot fermentation - hot drying.
Hot fermentation and hot drying are two different processes going on at the same time. The oven warms up from 80 to 100 degrees, not higher, otherwise you will burn the sheet and ruin everything. And not lower, otherwise the sheet will not be fermented hot.
Lay the cold fermented leaf on a baking sheet in one layer, not thick. We put in the oven. Do not close the oven door completely. Leave a gap with a wine bottle cork. During hot fermentation, the leaf darkens. We make sure that the sheet dries evenly, from time to time we take out the baking sheet and turn it over, mix the sheet. It is important not to overdry the sheet. The sheet should break, but not crumble. There should be no burnt smell. On the contrary, a lot of flavor is released during stoving. The smell in the apartment is amazing! It is difficult to describe in words this complex aroma, in which there are many tones, halftones and nuances, among which, it seems to me, flowering meadow herbs, apple blossom, strawberries, dried fruits predominate. Where does such a richness of aroma come from in a green leaf?

Ready tea.

Cold drying. Storage. dry fermentation.
After hot drying, it is very important to dry the tea, to withstand the tea for two or three days. Ready tea is scattered on a sheet, or on paper, and left to dry in this form. It is important to finish drying the finished tea because during hot drying, the pores are sealed, and moisture remains in the leaf. This is good, otherwise the leaf will not ferment in the oven, and will not ferment during storage. From my own experience, I have repeatedly noticed that during storage, tea gains taste, becomes more aromatic. This is dry fermentation. The longer the tea is stored, the tastier it will be. Exactly the same situation as with aged Chinese oolongs and pu-erh.
The same residual moisture can cause mold if this remaining excess moisture is not allowed to come out and equalize the leaf moisture with the air humidity in the apartment. And the moisture will come out slowly. Last year I rushed it. I look, like dry tea, even breaks. An hour later he put the tea in jars. Two weeks passed, the moisture sealed in the sheet came out, the mold divorced. And if there is mold, you can immediately throw away the tea; the taste is then hopelessly spoiled. Reheating will not solve the problem.

How to brew tea.
Before, I mentioned that tea is required three times more than Ceylon and Chinese teas. Therefore, take it generously and pour it with boiling water. The brewing time for tea is also longer than for the exposure of Ceylon and Chinese teas. Therefore, do not rush, let the tea open. Ivan tea has a slight sedative property, so it is better to drink it at night. In my opinion, this tea is self-sufficient. Additives of spicy herbs - oregano, mint, currant, deprive the tea of ​​individuality. Ivan-tea goes well with honey.

Thickly brewed and well infused tea does not produce as powerful brown tea color as black teas. It is more like green oolong teas. The taste of tea is enveloping, voluminous, with a slight sourness. Just like oolongs, Ivan tea can be brewed repeatedly with a long exposure. Cooled and even cold tea goes well with mint; this tea is great to drink in the heat.

Ivan-tea is everywhere. He is an optimist. On fires and clearings, he is the first to proclaim the triumph of life with his bright colors. It grows a lot, it is generous. But handling it requires careful attitude, patience and effort. And it doesn't just open up, it takes time. Ivan tea is the embodiment of the Russian soul.