Born in Milan's Isola neighborhood, Tondo is Silvia Cancellieri's project, created to recount, spread, and promote the culture of bread. It starts with a rigorous selection of a sustainable supply chain that is environmentally conscious , respectful of people's work, and attentive to raw materials. Added to this is the use of sourdough, which guarantees a broad organoleptic profile and greater longevity of the final product, not to mention organic stone-ground flours carefully selected from all over Italy.
Tondo is more than just an artisan bakery. What principles are embodied in this form?
"Artisan Bakery" only defines the size and care taken with the product, but Tondo is first and foremost a neighborhood shop, and therefore a place for relationships. The idea was to create a bakery that was just that: not a bakery, not a pastry shop, not a café. We make bread (and a few other products) with the utmost attention to our relationships with those who come before and after. In practice, we are simply the link between a supply chain that we choose to be virtuous, i.e., attentive to the future of the Earth, to people's work, and to the quality of raw materials, and those who consume. We try to pass on a little food education to the latter, in our own small way. This means explaining that there is not only "white bread" or "brown bread," what the differences are between the grains we use, and above all that there is an entire supply chain behind us that must be valued. So, once this has been explained, and, inevitably, the right economic value has been recognized . It is not "expensive" but "costly," or, to turn the situation on its head: when a product is very cheap, someone is pretending that the production chain behind the product does not exist. So, someone along the process is not being paid the right price.
At Tondo, we emphasize the cyclical nature of things: we start with the bread supply chain to say "we are all part of a single journey, we and our choices are part of a cycle that it is wise to respect."
We know that you pay particular attention to choosing conscious suppliers and that creating a sustainable supply chain is the basis of your work. What types of flour do you use in your bakery?
In accordance with the above principles, we only use organic flours, to do our part in protecting the fertility of the Earth and the health of our customers. Stone-ground and therefore never completely refined (from type 2 upwards), to respect the nutritional and organoleptic value of the cereals. From small Italian producers in various areas, to shorten the journey of the goods as much as possible, to add value to our economy, and because we have such a wonderfully varied territory that it seems silly to go further afield to get them. We could source even closer to home, but I really like the idea of exploring different areas and their production capabilities, as well as positively influencing as many small businesses as possible, some of which may be unknown. So if Basilicata grows splendid ancient grains, or an evolutionary population gives completely different results when grown in the Marche or Sardinia, why go to a single producer in Lombardy or Piedmont? Instead, let's explore the differences and take the opportunity to tell the story of that land, of that farm. In terms of the environmental sustainability of transport It's not ideal, but we are impacting the economic sustainability of wonderful people who care for the land through hard work such as farming. These are the people who feed us, and this is not talked about enough.
All your breads are naturally leavened. Why choose sourdough? How does it differ from yeast?
The difference is a bit like the difference between native and selected yeasts in wine, or between raw and pasteurized milk in cheese. Uniformity of taste or free - more or less - expression of the elements that determine it. With sourdough, fermentation is carried out by a very large and heterogeneous population of different yeasts and bacteria, which change and evolve depending on how the yeast is managed, refreshed, by whose hands, with what water and flour, and in what environment. With brewer's yeast, it is a single yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, selected, replicated, and produced industrially in giant centrifuges. The idea alone is quite impressive. But
from a results point of view, the organoleptic profile is necessarily much broader when using sourdough starter, i.e., a heterogeneous population. Not to mention that the collaboration between yeasts and bacteria and the balance between the acidities produced is what positively influences the longevity of the final product. Of course, for good, fragrant, long-lasting bread, you also need good flour...
How to make sourdough starter at home: do you have any tips for avoiding the most common mistakes?
First of all, have time and patience. With bread, this is always the best answer. In two days, you will not have a starter, and above all, it will not be stable and strong. It is possible to leave it untouched for weeks and weeks, but you are abandoning it to its fate of uncontrolled development and death of the bacteria that compose it.
To make it from scratch, simply leaving water and flour to ferment in a warm environment would be sufficient, but starting with a hint of acidity and sweetness is a good way to "facilitate" the feeding of the bacteria. A little apple juice, yogurt as a starter, rye flour, or anything else that provides additional sugars to your population, in addition to those in the flour. The concept is: sourdough starter is a living organism in every sense and, like us, it needs sugar, water, and warmth to grow healthily and survive.
How do you maintain sourdough starter? Any suggestions for maintaining it when you are away from home for long periods of time?
We suggest refreshing it at least once a weekto keep the situation under control, but clearly it depends on how often you use it. For long periods, some people dry it, freeze it, then thaw it... I don't like freezing on principle, as the freezer at home is a bit aggressive. Personally, I always take it with me. You have to be a little careful, be sensitive to changes that occur when the environment, water, and perhaps flour change, but that way you are always in communication and can intervene. Above all, I would say, don't demonize brewer's yeast. If you bake bread once a month, it really makes sense to keep it alive. yeast with such a waste of time and raw materials? We also need to know how to adapt the tools to the processes: brewer's yeast, used in the right small doses and, above all, given the right amount of time to work, can be the best solution. Or pop into the bakery and ask for some ready-made yeast if you're dying to get your hands dirty...
How long should dough with sourdough starter rise?
This question has a thousand variables. It depends on the temperature of the dough and the environment, therefore on the season, the flour (a weaker cereal will tend to rise less than a very glutenous one),the hydration of the dough ( a very humid environment speeds up fermentation) and, of course, the amount of yeast. It also depends on whether you decide to continue after the first rising by placing it in the cold or proceed with direct baking. Generally speaking, using 20% liquid sourdough starter on the total amount of flour, after kneading we leave the dough to rest for about 3 hours at around 26°C, then we divide and shape it, leave it to rest at 6°C for another 15-20 hours and bake it the next morning. An alternative at home is to leave it to rise outside the refrigerator for a further 2-4 hours after shaping and then bake it. The "finger test" is always a good indicator of the right rising point: when you press lightly on the loaf, it should be soft and elastic and spring back; if the indentation remains, give it a little more time!
Tondo artisan bakery - via Cola Montano, 12, 20159 Milan
Instagram and Facebook: @TONDO_forno
