From the Oven

Here is my take on a Pugliese Bread, combining a little knowledge, and the recipes from The Bread Bible, and Pane di Altamura From Local Breads.  this bread looks like a really wet dough, but in reality it’s not so, but I figure this is because the durum wheat flour I get from the local Italian market is really high in protein.  Normally when I make an all-durum wheat bread my hydration is somewhere around 85%.  This bread I did a mixture of durum and basic AP flour, with my durum wheat sourdough starter. Of note: the semolina used in this recipe is the powder fine grain type, not the sandy type most commonly seen in the US.

Pugliese
100g ripe semolina sourdough starter (100% hydration)
180g water
150g Unbleached AP Flour
100g Semolina Flour
7g Sea Salt 

If you don’t have a semolina starter just feed your white starter a few times with semolina.  Mix ingredients until a shaggy dough is formed, autolysis for 20 mins then kneed the dough (it will be really wet).  I prefer the “french fold” technique when working with really wet doughs.  When proper gluten formation is achieved, set aside to ferment for 3-4 hours, folding at both 30 mins and 1 hour to further develop the gluten.

Preshape then and shape the loaf (I did a batard), putting it into a proofing cloth or basket for about 1.5 hours, until doubled.  Move to a peel, slash and put into a preheated oven stone with the temp at 450 degrees. Cook with steam for the first half of cooking.

Happy baking.