Sourdough Italian Melba Toast

Fette biscottate, Melba Toasts, are a breakfast staple in Italy. Have them with Nutella, honey or jam for the perfect light snack. The recipe can be modified to savoury, by halving the sugar content and omitting the fennel seeds.

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150g refreshed sourdough starter, 50% hydration

250g strong white flour

250g all purpose flour

200g water

100g sugar

50g butter (or oil, or vegetable spread)

5g ground fennel seeds (optional)

8g salt

1 tbsp honey

Insert all the ingredients but the butter in a planetary mixer. 

Once the dough comes together add the butter and work until smooth and elastic. 

Mix for 20mins then place the kneaded dough in a lightly greased bowl; insert the bowl in a big plastic food grade bag. Leave it to ferment at room temperature for about 10 hours, until doubled in size.

Grease a baking tin, ours was 28x13x13 cm.

Flip the dough over onto the floured surface and fold the side edges at the top up and over to the middle (imagine a round bottom that tapers up to a point at the top, it will look like an inverted diamond of sorts). With floured hands take the point at top and start to roll the entire mass of dough downwards, with each roll pushing the dough with your thumbs inward toward the bench — imagine rolling up a beach towel. At the end of this you’ll have a tube that has essentially been rolled downward. Transfer to your greased baking tin with the seam on the bottom.

Insert the baking tin in the food grade bag, seal it with a peg, and wait for the dough to rise again, about 3 hours.

Score the loaf across the top, then bake cold start.100°c for 10 minutes,160°c for 10 minutes,190°c for 40 minutes.

Remove the loaf from the oven let it cool down for about 20 minutes, then transfer it onto a rack for 8 to 12 hours.

Cut the loaf in 5 mm thick slices, lay them onto oven racks and insert into the oven at 120C (ventilated) for about 3 to 4 hours, until lightly browned throughout (break one to check it is completely dried inside too).

Melba toast keeps up to a month if stored in a sealed container.