Baking desem bread in your big green egg

Whether you call it desem, leavened or sourdough bread, the preparation is exactly the same. That’s because they’re different names for the same bread, which, incidentally, you can make in many variations. What they all have in common is that the bread rises thanks to the addition of desem. But what really makes desem bread so special? Hiljo leaves us in no doubt about this: ‘The process. With desem, you start the fermentation of the dough naturally, which makes for delicious flavour characteristics and nice crust features, and gives extra springiness to the crumb – the inside of the bread. The desem itself is made from flour and water. This paste ferments thanks to the bacteria and wild yeasts in the air. Spontaneous fermentation occurs, which makes the process very unique.’

Starting a desem

‘These bacteria and ambient yeasts mean that each desem is unique,’ Hiljo continues. ‘Even if you use flour from the same types of grain. Your desem will develop wherever you start it and allow it to ferment. As a result, you develop a unique culture. To start a desem to begin baking with, all you need is seven days and, therefore, patience. You should see time, along with flour, water and the necessary bacteria, as indispensable ingredients.’

Day 1

Heat 50 grams of water to a temperature of 40 °C. Add this, together with 50 grams of wheat flour, to a (large) clean mason jar and mix well. Close the mason jar and place in a warm spot where the temperature is approximately 25 °C.

Day 2

Weigh 50 grams of your paste from day 1 and put this back into the mason jar afterwards – you won’t need the rest of the paste. Heat 100 grams of water to a temperature of 40 °C and mix this with 100 grams of wheat flour into the paste.

Day 3 to 7

Repeat the steps from day 2 on a daily basis. The paste will start fermenting after a few days. You will be able to see this from the bubbles that will start to form. On day 7, your desem or desem starter is ready to bake with and add to your bread recipe. If your mason jar is big enough, you can also weigh out a larger amount of the paste, as long as you keep the ratio of 1 part paste, 2 parts lukewarm water and 2 parts flour. This is ideal for when you want to bake several desem breads or use the daily leftovers for another preparation. That’s because you don’t have to throw these away. If you have 200 grams of the leftovers, mix in 100 grams of milk, 1 egg yolk and a tablespoon of sugar and you have a delicious pancake batter. What do I do with those pancakes? You bake them in the Big Green Egg, of course!

The flavour of desem

In this way, you can make different desem starters, for example using rye flour, wholemeal flour or spelt as the basis. But you can also split an existing desem starter that uses wheat flour as the basis, for example, and start feeding part of it with, for instance, rye flour, wholemeal flour or spelt. You can control the acidity of the desem, and, therefore, the flavour of your bread, among other ways, through the temperature at which you store it. Hiljo: ‘Desem contains both acetic acid bacteria and lactic acid bacteria. At temperatures below 20 °C, you grow more acetic acid bacteria. It is good for the lactic acid bacteria, which are somewhat milder in flavour, if you allow the desem to ferment at temperatures of 27 °C and above. Heavier bread, such as rye bread, requires more acid to cook the rye. In this case, there’s also adding acidification to the recipe in the form of desem.’

Dos & don'ts

In this way, you can make different desem starters, for example using rye flour, wholemeal flour or spelt as the basis. But you can also split an existing desem starter that uses wheat flour as the basis, for example, and start feeding part of it with, for instance, rye flour, wholemeal flour or spelt. You can control the acidity of the desem, and, therefore, the flavour of your bread, among other ways, through the temperature at which you store it. Hiljo: ‘Desem contains both acetic acid bacteria and lactic acid bacteria. At temperatures below 20 °C, you grow more acetic acid bacteria. It is good for the lactic acid bacteria, which are somewhat milder in flavour, if you allow the desem to ferment at temperatures of 27 °C and above. Heavier bread, such as rye bread, requires more acid to cook the rye. In this case, there’s also adding acidification to the recipe in the form of desem.’

Storing desem

Now, you may, of course, wish to occasionally bake desem bread so that you’re not eating pancakes too often. ‘In that case, you can also store a desem in the fridge,’ Hiljo advises. ‘The low temperature will allow you to keep the desem semi-dormant, and you will certainly be able to keep it alive for about two weeks without feeding it. The desem may release some water by curling up and protecting itself. This doesn’t matter, as you will still be able to get the desem back in good shape. Remove the desem from the fridge a day before adding it to your bread recipe and stir. You can subsequently start up the desem again by again adding 1 part desem, 2 parts lukewarm water and two parts flour. Fermentation will resume within a few hours.’

Freezing desem

‘Another alternative is to freeze the desem (or part of it, if necessary) in a sealed container. In that case, however, you do need a little longer to activate your desem again. If you’re doing this, allow the desem to thaw out in the fridge for a day before starting it again and feeding it on a daily basis. Your desem will be ready to bake with again within two to three days.’

Have you already made a desem? If so, it’s time to bake desem bread in your Big Green Egg so you can taste the results. Especially for you, Hiljo shares a delicious recipe for desem baguettes.