Pane Siciliano

Name: Pane Siciliano
Yield: makes 3 loaves
Ingredients: 3 cups (16 ounces) pâte fermentée; 1 3/4 cups (8 ounces) unbleached high-gluten or bread flour; 1 3/4 cups (8 ounces) semolina flour; 1 1/4 teaspoons (.31 ounce) salt; 1 1/4 teaspoons (.14 ounce) instant yeast; 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) olive oil; 1 tablespoon (.75 ounce) honey; 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups (10 to 12 ounces) water, lukewarm (90° to 100°F); Natural, brown, and/or black sesame seeds for topping

January 26, 2012

This is one of the breakthrough breads that taught me the value of combining large portions of pre-ferment with overnight cold fermentation. Semolina is the gritty, sandy flour milled from durum wheat. (Durum is the strain of wheat most closely identified with pasta.) It is a hard, high-protein wheat, but it is not high in gluten. The golden color is mainly due to a high proportion of beta-carotene, which contributes both aroma and flavor as well as the appealing hue. You may substitute a finer grind of this flour, called fancy durum (sometimes labeled “extra fancy durum”). When it is labeled “fancy durum,” the flour is milled to the consistency of regular bread flour. This is the grind used in pasta and also used in the 100 percent durum bread called pugliese (page 222). This version of pane siciliano consists of 40 percent semolina flour and 60 percent high-gluten or bread flour. The finished loaf has a beautiful blistered crust, not too crackly, and a crumb with large, irregular holes, open to the same degree as good French or Italian bread. The sweetness and nutty quality of the semolina, and the complementary flavor of the sesame-seed garnish make this one of my absolute favorite breads.

Recipe notes