Tuscan Bread's Unobtrusive Flavor Provides Ideal Versatility

In response to a salt tax, native Tuscans developed a bread without salt.  The resulting Tuscan bread creates a perfect complement to strongly flavored foods

Bread made without salt is often regarded as flat and insipid, Carol Field notes in her book, The Italian Baker.  Yet, Tuscans have been making saltless bread for centuries.  To find the appeal of this bread and its origin, I turned to Carol Field and Marsha De Angelis for help.  One explanation of the origin of saltless bread is that the notoriously tight-fisted Tuscans could not bear to pay the government's salt tax, so they chose to make bread without it.

Coincidentally, saltless bread is perfectly suited to Tuscan cuisine, which is full of strong flavors.  Tuscans eat thick slabs of a local prosciutto that is strong and salty, and their finocchiona sausages are more highly flavored than other Italian varieties.  Saltless Tuscan bread is a perfect complement to both.  The sauces for Tuscan meats and stews also are extremely spicy and flavorful, and the salteless bread is a perfect balance when steeped in the gravies.

Tuscan bread is best when used as the Tuscans use it.  Some flavorful combinations include fettunta, a slice of bread grilled or broiled, rubbed with garlic, and then brushed with a fruity olive oil: crostini with chicken livers or game; highly flavored Tuscan salami and prosciutto and spicy sauces and gravies with meat.

Because no salt is used, Tuscan bread dries out more quickly than other breads, but it is still very tasty soaked in a salad dressing or soup.  With the absence of salt in the formula, this bread also can be recommended for customers with specific low-salt or no-salt diet needs.

Importance of Selected Ingredients

This formula involves a very small percentage of salt, but Tuscan bread can be made with no salt at all.  Due to the absence of salt, some flours' enzyme activity (protease activity) is accentuated, resulting in  difficult dough with an excess of extensibility.

The milk powder adds complexity to the bread's flavor, and it also improves the shelf life of the bread and the coloration of the crust.  Dough with no salt has a tendency to generate a dull crust color.  Adding malt to the formula also will improve crust color during baking.

Begin with still levain

To begin, make a stiff levain.  The starter used in this formula comes from a stiff culture (60% hydration) fed every eight hours and fermented at room temperature (75-80°F).  Combine levain ingredients and mix.  Regardless of the mixer you are using, adjust the mixing times and speeds to obtain a good incorporation of all ingredients.  It is not necessary to develop the gluten structure of the levain.

After mixing, transfer the levain to a plastic holding tub and allow it to ferment at 75-80°F for eight to 10 hours.  Stiff levain is fully mature and ready to use when it domes slightly on top and begins to recede.  Save a piece of the levain for the next day's starter.  Return the other portion of the levain  to the mixer and add final dough ingredients.  

To mix the final dough, combine flour, milk powder, malt, water, and levain.  Mix at first speed for three to four minutes.  The dough consistency should be medium soft.  After three to four minutes of incorporation, or when the right dough consistency is achieved, add the yeast and salt.

Mix Final Dough

Transfer the dough to a plastic holding tub and allow it to ferment at room temperature for two hours.  After two hours, turn the dough onto a floured surface.  Cut the dough into 1-lb 6.5-oz 750g) pieces, or divide it into 8-oz (240g) pieces for smaller loaves. Divide the dough by hand, or use a hydraulic dough divider for larger batches.

Shape the dough into light rounds and allow them to rest for 15 to 20 minutes.  After resting, shape the dough into batards and proof on dusted linen.  Proof the dough at room temperature for about one and a half hours to two hours.  Be careful not to let the dough overproof.

Create Crust Variations

After the final proof, transfer the individual dough pieces to an oven-loading belt, and place them seam up.  During the bake, the floured surface will naturally split at the seam, creating a more rustic loaf. You also can bake the dough pieces seam down, and score the loaves in a cross pattern for a more formal appearance.  The dough must be handled very gently at this stage, so it is best to use a wooden transfer.

Lightly round dough into balls and let the dough rest for 15 to 20 minutes

Shape dough pieces into batards and place them on dusted linen for proofing.

Load loaves seam up into the oven. Or place loaves seam down and score the tops in a cross pattern.  

Cool the bread on the rack and allow it to cool completely to fully enjoy its flavor.  Offer suggestions to customers on how best to serve Tuscan bread.  If possible, display some spicy meats and cheeses near  the bread for meal ideas.

TUSCAN BREAD

This formula yields about 15 1-lb. 6.5-oz (750g) loaves.