The Magic of Stoneground: 

Baking with Antiqua Tipo 2

The other day, I visited my favorite store, which sells everything for professional baking, and discovered they were just unpacking new Italian Antiqua flour. After a quick look at the flour's properties, I couldn’t resist taking three out of the four types to try:

1. Antiqua Type 2 Strong Stoneground soft wheat flour — stoneground, 100% Italian grain flour, perfect for rustic bread.

2. Antiqua Integrale Forte — strong whole wheat flour for long fermentation.

3. Antiqua Cereals Multicereals blend — an amazing multicereal mix.

Of course, I couldn’t wait for a spare minute to bake bread with it! I found so much useful information and recipes on the manufacturer's website. https://bongiovannitorino.it

Here is what I got. This is exactly the taste for which, back in the day, I would pack a loaf of fresh, rustic, countryside bread in my suitcase as my main souvenir from Italy or France! I’ve tried for a long time to recreate that same taste, texture, and aroma.

I followed the original recipe, https://bongiovannitorino.it/en/pane-con-lievito-madre-di-alessio-galli/ taking half a portion. My love for healthy eating always pushes me to add something that increases the product's nutritional value on the one hand and adds flavor nuances woven into the main spectrum on the other. This time, I made a small addition of pumpkin and sunflower seeds.

Important tip: I added the seeds during the stretching and folding stage so as not to disrupt the hydration of the original recipe.

The result was excellent! A real rustic bread with a crispy crust, tender crumb, nutty aroma, and a creamy aftertaste. Swipe through the gallery to see the whole process!

(Swipe to see the photos below 👇)

1. During folding: the dough after autolyse and introduction of the sourdough starter.
   

   
   
   
   

2. Folding magic: adding seeds during the second Stretch & Fold.
   

   
   
   
   

3. Ready for the oven: the dough after cold overnight proofing.
   

   
   
   
   

4. Hot out of the oven: the loaf immediately after baking. It already has a fan! 🐈
   

   
   
   
   

5. Rustic beauty: another angle of the freshly baked bread.
   

   
   
   
   

6. Crumb of dreams: porous, tender, and incredibly aromatic.
   

   
   
   

   
   
   
   
   
   

7. The stars of the show: the Antiqua flour itself and the result.