Civraxiu

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large mixing bowl
• •Bench scraper
• •Proofing basket or bowl lined with floured towel
• •5-quart Dutch oven with lid
• •Lame or sharp razor blade
• •Wire cooling rack
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Combine the flours

   In a large bowl, whisk together the semola rimacinata and bread flour. The semolina gives this bread its characteristic golden color and sweet, wheaty flavor. The small addition of bread flour provides structure that pure semolina lacks. Make a well in the center.

2. 2

   Mix the dough

   Add the yeast to the water and stir to dissolve. Pour the water into the well and begin mixing with your hand or a wooden spoon, gradually incorporating the flour from the edges. When a shaggy mass forms, add the salt and continue mixing until no dry flour remains. The dough will feel sticky and rough. This is correct.

   Sardinian bakers add salt late in mixing. Early salt inhibits gluten development. Let the flour hydrate first, then introduce the salt.
3. 3

   Develop the gluten

   Turn the dough onto an unfloured surface. Knead for 10 to 12 minutes, until the dough becomes smooth, elastic, and only slightly tacky. Semolina dough requires patience. It develops slowly but eventually becomes supple and extensible. When you stretch a small piece, it should form a thin, translucent membrane without tearing.

4. 4

   First fermentation

   Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Let it rise at room temperature until doubled in volume, 2 to 3 hours. For deeper flavor, refrigerate overnight and let it return to room temperature before shaping, about 2 hours.

5. 5

   Shape the loaf

   Generously dust your work surface with semolina. Turn out the dough and gently press it into a rough rectangle, releasing some gas but not all. Fold the sides toward the center, then roll the dough toward you, tucking it under itself to create surface tension. Cup your hands around the dough and drag it toward you on an unfloured section of counter, letting friction tighten the ball. The loaf should be round and taut.

   Civraxiu is traditionally large, weighing a kilogram or more. Do not divide this dough. The size creates the proper ratio of crust to crumb that defines the bread.
6. 6

   Final proof

   Dust a proofing basket or a bowl lined with a floured towel generously with semolina. Place the shaped loaf seam-side up in the basket. Cover loosely and let rise until the dough springs back slowly when pressed with a floured finger, 1 to 2 hours depending on room temperature. It should hold an indentation but not collapse.

7. 7

   Prepare the oven

   One hour before baking, place a Dutch oven with its lid in your oven and heat to 250°C (480°F). The pot must be blazing hot. This trapped heat and steam mimics the wood-fired ovens of Sardinian bakeries, creating the thick, dark crust that defines civraxiu.

8. 8

   Score and bake

   Carefully turn the proofed loaf onto a piece of parchment paper, seam-side down. With a sharp blade or razor, score the top with a single deep slash or a cross. The cut should be decisive, about half a centimeter deep. Working quickly, remove the hot pot from the oven, lower the bread into it using the parchment as a sling, and cover with the lid.

   Confidence with the blade matters. A hesitant, shallow cut will seal closed. A swift, angled slash opens into an ear that becomes beautifully caramelized.
9. 9

   Finish baking

   Bake covered for 30 minutes. The steam trapped under the lid allows the crust to expand fully. Remove the lid, reduce temperature to 220°C (425°F), and continue baking until the crust is deeply bronzed, almost mahogany, another 20 to 25 minutes. The internal temperature should reach 98°C (208°F). The loaf will sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.

10. 10

    Cool completely

    Transfer the bread to a wire rack. Do not cut it for at least two hours. The crumb is still setting, moisture still redistributing. Cutting too soon gives you gummy bread and wastes the work you have done. Listen to it crackle as it cools. This is the bread singing.

Chef Tips

• •Seek out semola rimacinata, the finely milled durum wheat semolina used for bread. Coarse semolina for pasta will not absorb water properly and produces gritty bread. Italian grocers stock the correct product.
• •The dough is sticky at first. Resist adding flour. Semolina hydrates slowly. After ten minutes of kneading, you will understand. The dough transforms.
• •If you lack a Dutch oven, use a baking stone with a pan of boiling water below for steam during the first 20 minutes. The crust will be thinner but still respectable.
• •Store the cooled loaf cut-side down on a board, or wrapped loosely in cloth. Never plastic, which softens the crust and traps moisture. The bread keeps five to seven days at room temperature.

Advance Preparation

• •The dough benefits from overnight cold fermentation. After the first rise, refrigerate the covered bowl for 8 to 16 hours. The cold slows the yeast and develops complex flavor. Remove 2 hours before shaping.
• •Baked civraxiu keeps at room temperature for one week. After the third day, toast thick slices to revive the crust. The Sardinians waste nothing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 100g)