Pane Carasau

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Baking stone or unglazed quarry tiles
• •Long thin rolling pin or standard rolling pin
• •Large clean work surface for rolling
• •Thin sharp knife for splitting
• •Wire cooling racks

Instructions

1. 1

   Activate the yeast

   Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. The water should feel pleasantly warm on your wrist, never hot. Let it stand for five minutes until small bubbles appear on the surface. If nothing happens, your yeast is dead. Begin again with fresh yeast.

2. 2

   Form the dough

   Place the semolina in a large bowl. Add the salt and mix with your fingers. Pour in the yeast mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until a shaggy mass forms. Turn it onto a clean work surface. The dough will seem dry. This is correct. Durum wheat absorbs water slowly.

3. 3

   Knead thoroughly

   Knead the dough for a full 15 minutes. Push with the heel of your hand, fold, turn, and repeat. The dough will transform from rough and resistant to smooth and elastic. When you press it with your finger, it should spring back slowly. If your arms tire, you are doing it correctly.

   Sardinian women traditionally kneaded this dough for 20 minutes or more. There are no shortcuts here. The gluten development determines whether the dough will stretch thin enough.
4. 4

   Rest the dough

   Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a lightly oiled bowl, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let it rise in a warm place until doubled, about one and a half hours. The timing depends on your kitchen. Watch the dough, not the clock.

5. 5

   Prepare for rolling

   Preheat your oven to its highest setting, at least 500°F. If you have a baking stone, place it on the lowest rack and let it heat for a full hour. Without a hot surface, the bread will not puff properly. Divide the risen dough into 16 equal pieces. Roll each into a ball, cover with a damp cloth, and let rest 15 minutes.

6. 6

   Roll paper-thin

   Working with one ball at a time, roll it into a circle as thin as you can manage. The dough should be nearly translucent. When you hold it up to the light, you should almost see through it. Dust with semolina as needed to prevent sticking. The circle should be roughly 10 inches across.

   Sardinian bakers use a long thin rolling pin and rotate the dough constantly. If your dough springs back stubbornly, let it rest five minutes before continuing. Fighting the gluten accomplishes nothing.
7. 7

   First bake

   Slide the rolled dough onto the hot baking stone. Within 30 seconds to one minute, the dough will puff dramatically into a balloon. This is the moment you have been working toward. If it does not puff, your dough was too thick or your oven not hot enough. Remove immediately and let it deflate on a wire rack.

8. 8

   Split the balloon

   While the puffed bread is still warm and pliable, carefully split it horizontally into two sheets using a thin sharp knife. Work gently. Each round of dough becomes two sheets of pane carasau. Stack them between clean kitchen towels as you work.

9. 9

   Second bake

   Reduce oven temperature to 400°F. Lay the split sheets directly on the oven rack in a single layer. Bake until completely dry and beginning to turn golden at the edges, 2 to 4 minutes. Watch carefully. The difference between done and burned is seconds. The sheets should be rigid when cooled, snapping cleanly when broken.

   The second baking removes all moisture. This is what allows the bread to keep for months. Any remaining softness means it will eventually mold.
10. 10

    Cool and store

    Cool the sheets completely on wire racks. They will crisp further as they cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Properly dried pane carasau keeps for several months. When you break a sheet, it should crackle sharply. This is the music of carta da musica.

Chef Tips

• •Semola rimacinata is durum wheat semolina that has been milled twice, making it finer than standard semolina. It produces a more pliable dough that rolls thinner. Look for it at Italian grocers or order it online. Regular semolina will work but requires more effort.
• •The puffing is not decorative. When the dough balloons in the oven, it creates two layers that can be split. If your dough does not puff, it was either too thick, not rested enough, or the oven was not hot enough. All three must be correct.
• •Work in batches. By the time you have rolled one sheet, baked it, split it, and set it aside, the next ball of dough will be ready. Trying to rush disrupts the rhythm.
• •In Sardinia, this is still community work. Women gather to make pane carasau together, one rolling, one baking, one splitting. If you have willing hands, the work goes faster and the company improves the bread.

Advance Preparation

• •The dough can be made and refrigerated overnight after the first rise. Bring to room temperature before dividing and rolling.
• •Finished pane carasau keeps in an airtight container at room temperature for two to three months. This is the entire point of the bread.
• •If sheets absorb humidity and soften, crisp them in a 350°F oven for two minutes before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 35g)