Semolina Bread

Name: Semolina Bread
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: Remilled durum wheat semolina ½ cup; Water 2 ½ tbsp; Fresh brewer's yeast 0.3 tsp; Remilled durum wheat semolina 2 cups; Type 0 flour 6 ½ tbsp; Water 1.1 cups; Fresh brewer's yeast ½ tsp; Fine salt 1.8 tsp; Extra virgin olive oil to grease the bowl to taste; Remilled durum wheat semolina to taste

Lactose Free
Vegetarian
Vegan

Difficulty: Difficult
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 50 min
Serving: 6
Cost: Very low
Note plus the resting and proofing times (22 hours)

PRESENTATION

Semolina bread built on a biga pre-ferment comes out of the oven with a golden, crackling crust and a soft, open crumb that smells the way good bread is supposed to. The flour base — durum wheat semolina — gives the loaf a slightly denser structure and a warm, nutty depth that all-purpose flour simply doesn't produce.

The biga, a pre-ferment of semolina, water, and yeast, does the heavy lifting: its long maturation builds aroma and an airy crumb before the final dough even comes together. Baking inside a Dutch oven traps enough heat around the loaf to replicate what a professional baker's oven does to the crust. The result is an everyday loaf sturdy enough to serve alongside a full meal, hold up under bruschetta toppings, or stand on its own with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

INGREDIENTS

Ingredients for the biga: Remilled durum wheat semolina ½ cup (75 g); Water 2 ½ tbsp (37.5 g); Fresh brewer's yeast 0.3 tsp (1.5 g)

For the dough: Remilled durum wheat semolina 2 cups (300 g); Type 0 flour 6 ½ tbsp (50 g); Water 1.1 cups (260 g); Fresh brewer's yeast ½ tsp (2 g); Fine salt 1.8 tsp (10 g); Extra virgin olive oil to taste - to grease the bowl

For dusting: Remilled durum wheat semolina to taste

Preparation

How to prepare Semolina Bread

To prepare the semolina bread, start with the biga. In a bowl pour the water 1, add the crumbled fresh brewer's yeast 2 and dissolve it with a teaspoon 3.

Now add the semolina 4 and mix well until the flour has absorbed the water 5; you should obtain a coarse dough. Cover it with plastic wrap, then let it mature at room temperature for 18 hours 6.

The next day, take the matured biga, transfer it to a larger bowl and pour in almost all of the water 7. Add the remaining fresh brewer's yeast 8 and add both the semolina and the white (all-purpose) flour 9.

After a short stir, add the salt 10 and the remaining water 11, which will allow the salt to dissolve. Mix with a spoon until all the ingredients are combined 12.

Turn the dough out onto your work surface 13 and begin kneading; it will take about 10 minutes 14. After 10 minutes your dough will be soft, smooth and homogeneous and will no longer be sticky 15.

Take a large bowl and grease it with a little oil 16. Place the dough inside the bowl and cover with plastic wrap 17. Now let it rise at room temperature for 3 hours, or until doubled in size 18.

After 3 hours, take the dough and place it on a work surface dusted lightly with flour so it won't stick 19. Flatten it slightly, trying to form a round shape 20, so it's easier to handle. Now make reinforcing folds. Take the side edges of the dough and bring them to the center 21.

Do the same with all the edges, gently pulling them toward the center 22, then seal the dough well by pinching it with your hands and shape it into a smooth round 23. Place the dough in a banneton or in a floured bowl, with the seam facing up; pinch the seam again and let it rise for another 45 minutes, covering it with a kitchen towel 24.

After 45 minutes, take the loaf for the last time and turn it out onto a sheet of parchment paper 25. With a very sharp blade make cuts on the surface 26 and transfer the dough into a cast-iron pot or an aluminum pot 27. The important thing is to use a pot suitable for oven baking.

Cover with a lid and bake in a static (conventional) oven at 482°F for 35 minutes 28. After this time, carefully because of the hot pot, transfer the bread to the oven rack 29 and bake in fan-assisted (convection) mode for another 15 minutes at 428°F. Once it is golden and crunchy, remove it from the oven and let it cool 30 before slicing.

Storage

Semolina bread can be stored in a paper bag for 1-2 days at most. Once baked and cooled it can be frozen, preferably already sliced so you can thaw portions as needed.