Bread, Love and Hangover

From an infused herbal tea to a fragrant bread with a strong character. LePolveri meets Wilden. herbals and an unprecedented leavening is born.

She a baking alchemist, they organic herbal teas with natural herbs. Curiosity and willingness to play, putting their hands to work, did the rest. Here is the story of a perfect understanding.

Aurora de LePolveri has a scientific background from her studies. After graduating with a degree in chemistry, she decided to experiment with other formulas with an enveloping scent and fragrant texture. So she began training as a baker and, after years of apprenticeship, was ready to take off by opening her own artisanal micro-bakery in Milan. Old alchemical habits die hard and indeed, at LePolveri they are the starting point for a gastronomic offering that is never taken for granted. In fact, together with Wilden. herbals, Aurora has developed a special bread with a strong character and a pungent aroma: Hangover bread.

Wilden.herbals – Hangover Bread

The bread developed by Aurora comes from one of Wilden. herbals’ infusions, Remedium No. 4 Hangover, especially useful for giving a twist to a bad day. A complex recipe, that of Hangover infusion consists of no less than eleven carefully selected organic herbs. After leaving it to infuse, Aurora used it to sprinkle on her dough, which thus took on an unprecedented fragrance and flavor. Prominent among the ingredients perceived on the palate is gentian, which imparts a hint of bitterness, making this bread perfect for accompanying fuller cheeses. This is followed by cardamom, which on the palate turns into sudden, light, pleasant and salty spiciness, reminiscent of olive bread. An olfactory reference to lemon closes the circle.

Curious to experiment with the recipe at home? Here it is!

Hangover bread – the recipe

Ingredients

• 600g of type 1 flour
• 420g of lukewarm water
• 150g of sourdough
• 12g salt
• 15g herbal tea infusion dissolved without sachet in 50g water

Proceedings

A couple of hours before baking the bread, put Remedium n. 4 Hangover infused in 50g/ml water at 90/95° and let it cool. Coarsely mix flour, water and yeast and let stand for 30 minutes. Add the salt, wait for it to be absorbed by the dough then pour in the herbal tea and its flavored water last. Knead for a long time until the dough is smooth and homogeneous, then transfer it to an oiled container and let it rest for about 2 1/2 hours.

Once the resting time has elapsed, turn over on the floured counter and proceed to forming by folding the dough over on itself first in one direction, then the other. Place the loaf in a bowl with a lightly floured cloth, let it rest for another 3 hours at room temperature or about 10 to 12 hours in the refrigerator. Heat the oven to maximum, flip the loaf onto the drip pan, carve the surface as you like and bake for about 30 minutes, then open a few seconds and lower the oven to 210-220°C, then bake for another 20 minutes.