Durum semolina bread: the recipe

At a glance

• Method: Preferment, without autolyse
• Preferment: Leftover dough — 40% of the flour
• Mixing: Stand mixer

• Number of pieces: 2
• Weight per piece: 680 g
• Preferment weight: 560 g
• Dough weight: 797 g
• Total dough weight: 1360 g

Want to change the number of pieces, their weight or anything else? The calculator redoes the quantities. Open the calculator

Ingredients

Quantities for 2 pieces of 680 g, kitchen at 24 °C

Want to change the ingredients or use your own flour? The calculator redoes quantities and timing. Open the calculator

Method

1. Pasta di riporto: make it and let it ferment (at room temperature) (1 h 15 min)

   • Weigh the ingredients
   • Make a mix with 2 ice cubes and 181 g of water at room temperature (to get it to 12 °C)
   • Dissolve the yeast in the water
   • Mix until you get a smooth dough
   • Seal it airtight (a lid, or plastic wrap pressed onto the surface)
2. Weigh the ingredients and knead (20 min)

   • Make a mix with 2 ice cubes and 229 g of water at room temperature (to get it to 15 °C)

   Add the sponge last.
3. End of mixing, start of bulk rise (at room temperature) (1 h 30 min)

   Fold the dough once, after 45 minutes of bulk fermentation.
4. Divide/shape: weigh and form the pieces (5 min)

   • Divide into 680 g (1.5 lb) pieces, preshape lightly into rounds and place on a lightly floured work surface, covered with plastic.
   • When the dough has relaxed sufficiently (10 to 15 minutes), shape into round or oval loaves and place them into floured bannetons or between the folds of a floured linen couche, covered with plastic — or shape into a cylinder for a loaf pan.
5. Start of proofing (at room temperature) (1 h 8 min)

   About 1 to 1h15 at 24 °C.
6. Ready to cook

   Slash the loaves as desired before loading the oven.

Want to change when you start or when you bake? The calculator gives you the schedule with exact times. Open the calculator

Baking

1. • conventional oven, with steam
   • Overall temperature: 240 °C
   • Time: 38 minutes
   • Double steam (before loading and again right after). Once the loaves have taken on colour, open the vent to finish the bake drier.

The calculator adapts baking times to the weight of your pieces. Open the calculator

Preparation notes

Sponge

1. Mix the durum flour, bread flour, water, yeast and sugar until evenly incorporated: It will be fairly loose. It wants to come out warm, 25-26 °C — if the water the app suggests seems too cold to get there, warm it up a little by hand.
2. It's ready after about 1h15, when it's on the verge of collapse: That's the signal to follow, more than the thermometer or the clock.

Variant: Sesame seeds

After shaping, dampen the top of the piece and press it onto a plate of sesame seeds before proofing — not part of the base recipe, use as much as you like.