Pane di Altamura

Ingredients

• 3.5 cups durum wheat semolina flour (tipo rimacinata)
• 1.25 cups water, room temperature
• 1.75 teaspoons salt
• ¼ teaspoon instant yeast
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

1. 1

   Pour 3.5 cups semolina flour and 1.75 teaspoons salt into a large bowl and stir them together with a wooden spoon until evenly mixed, about 30 seconds.

2. 2

   Pour 1.25 cups room-temperature water into the flour, then mix with the spoon by stirring in one direction until all flour is wet and a shaggy, sticky dough forms, about 2 minutes.

3. 3

   Sprinkle 0.25 teaspoon instant yeast over the dough, then stir it in thoroughly with the spoon until no dry yeast specks remain, about 30 seconds.

4. 4

   Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over the dough and stir it in with the spoon until the oil is fully incorporated and the dough looks glossy, about 1 minute.

5. 5

   Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and leave it at room temperature (68–72°F) for 18 to 24 hours until the dough is bubbly and has roughly tripled in size.

6. 6

   Dust a work surface lightly with semolina flour, then scrape the entire dough out of the bowl onto the surface using a damp rubber spatula, keeping it as one mound.

7. 7

   Gently fold the dough in half toward you, then rotate it 90 degrees on the work surface and fold it toward you again, repeating this stretch-and-fold motion four times until the dough feels slightly tighter but still very soft.

8. 8

   Flip the dough seam-side down so the smooth side faces up, then carefully shape it into a loose, round boule by tucking the edges underneath and toward the center, working gently to avoid deflating.

9. 9

   Dust a banneton basket or large bowl lined with a kitchen towel with semolina flour, then place the shaped dough seam-side up inside the basket, cover it loosely with plastic wrap, and let it rest at room temperature for 2 to 4 hours until puffy and jiggly.

10. 10

    Set your oven to 500°F and place a Dutch oven (with lid) inside it; wait until the oven beeps or light indicates it has finished preheating, about 30 minutes.

11. 11

    Invert the dough onto a piece of parchment paper so the smooth side is now facing down, then carefully transfer it (still on the parchment) into the preheated Dutch oven and quickly cover it with the lid.

12. 12

    Bake covered at 500°F for 30 minutes; you should hear steam hissing and see condensation inside the lid.

13. 13

    Carefully remove the Dutch oven lid using oven mitts, then continue baking the bread uncovered at 500°F for 15 to 20 minutes until the crust is deep golden-brown, almost dark honey-colored.

14. 14

    Remove the bread from the oven using oven mitts and slide it onto a wire cooling rack; let it cool completely at room temperature for at least 1 hour before slicing.

Tools you’ll need

• large mixing bowl
• wooden spoon
• plastic wrap
• banneton basket or large bowl with kitchen towel
• Dutch oven with lid, 5–7 quart capacity
• parchment paper
• oven mitts
• wire cooling rack

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