The semi-direct dough is the product of a bread-making technique that sits halfway between the direct and the indirect method, and it is used above all in professional bakeries for the excellent results it delivers. With the semi-direct method, all the ingredients are worked in a single stage, but with one special addition: the old dough. Old dough is a piece of leftover, matured dough that already contains all the basic ingredients: adding it gives the final dough greater strength, allowing shorter fermentation times and a smaller amount of yeast.
The semi-direct method offers several advantages, such as better digestibility of the finished product, a more intense aroma and a longer shelf life than traditional methods. Bakers and pizza makers particularly appreciate this method for its ability to improve the organoleptic characteristics of bread and pizza, making them tastier and more pleasing on the palate.
How do you make semi-direct dough?
Before we look at how to prepare the semi-direct dough, let's dig into a few technical points that are essential for a successful final result.
The enzymes in flour break starch chains down into simple sugars, while the yeasts feed on those sugars, multiply and ferment, making the bread dough rise. For these microorganisms to do their breaking-down and fermenting work at their best, they need to live and multiply in an environment that suits them.
When making baked bread products, two variables are fundamental to an optimal result: the temperature of the dough and the times for kneading and rising.
The temperature
The ideal temperature for the enzymatic and fermentation life of a dough lies between 25 and 30 °C: yeast cells start multiplying and fermenting from the moment of kneading, and to encourage that multiplication the final temperature matters a great deal. Every dough has its ideal temperature, depending on its consistency: for dry doughs (45–50% water) that will then be sheeted and folded we recommend 23 °C, for soft doughs (55–60% water) it is better to stay at around 25 °C, and finally for slack doughs (65–80% water) we recommend 27 °C.
If a dough is too cold, the gluten will not form completely and fermentation will slow down. Conversely, a dough that has overheated will have a gluten network that is too stiff and partly torn: the increased enzyme activity speeds up fermentation, which ends up souring the final dough.
The final temperature of the dough depends on 4 factors:
1. The temperature of the room where you knead.
2. The temperature of the flour, normally 1 degree below room temperature.
3. The temperature of the water, which needs to be calculated.
4. The heat generated by the dough mixer, normally 9–12 °C.
Before measuring out the water for the dough, it is important to calculate its temperature, since it will determine the final temperature of the dough. The formula is as follows:
Final dough temperature x 3 – room temperature – flour temperature – dough mixer heat = water temperature.
This formula comes from countless practical trials and is endorsed by all the Italian bakers' associations.
Example. If we need to make a soft dough with a final temperature of 25 °C, what will the water temperature be? 25 °C (final dough temperature) x 3 = 75 – 22 (room temperature) – 21 (flour temperature, 1 °C below room temperature) – 10 (dough mixer heat) = 22 °C water temperature.
Kneading and rising times
Once the correct final dough temperature has been calculated, the second variable remains: the kneading and rising time.
Kneading is normally done in two stages: the first at low speed, to blend the ingredients, which usually takes 5 minutes, and the second at a higher speed, in which the gluten network forms over 5–6 minutes. To get a better grasp of rising times, we suggest you read our dedicated article.
Ingredients and rising time: mantovane with old dough
- Old dough
- 100 g W 300 flour
- 55 g water
- 4 g yeast
- 2 g salt
- Kneading time: 5 minutes on speed 1
The final dough temperature is 24 °C. Leave to rise at room temperature for as long as it takes for the dough to develop an intense, pleasantly tangy smell.
Final dough: ingredients
- 150 g old dough
- 500 g W 240 flour
- 225 g water
- 5 g yeast
- 2.5 g malt
- 10 g salt
- 25 g extra-virgin olive oil
Kneading time: 5 minutes on speed 1 and 7 minutes on speed 2–3;
The final dough temperature is 26 °C.
Method
- Start the dough with the flour, 80% of the water and the malt.
- Halfway through kneading, add the old dough, the salt, the oil and, slowly, the remaining water.
- Leave the dough to rest, well covered, at room temperature for 80–90 minutes.
- Divide it into 65 g pieces and shape the mantovane by stretching them out with a rolling pin and rolling them up twice.
- Arrange the pieces on a lightly floured board.
- Cover with a nylon sheet and leave to rise for about 45 minutes.
- Cut them saddle-style and bake at 230 °C with the oven door slightly open (the handle of a steel spoon comes in handy here).
- After about 10 minutes, close the oven and lower the temperature to 200 °C.
Now your loaves are ready to come out of the oven and be enjoyed!
The semi-direct method is not just a way of making bread, it is real culinary magic! With its perfect balance, it is the ideal ally for anyone wanting to try their hand at the art of bread-making and achieve truly professional results. We can't wait to see the wonders you will create with this new technique! Together, we can turn every kitchen into a little corner of paradise.
Article by Enrico Gumirato, pastry chef and trainer
