Foolproof BreadItaliano

Tolfa bread: the recipe

Tolfa bread

Tolfa bread, also known as Allumiere bread, is the traditional bread of the Tolfa Mountains, in northern Lazio.

It is an unsalted bread, made with durum wheat semolina alone and leavened with a sourdough starter, itself fed with semolina. It has a thin, soft crust and a compact, straw-yellow crumb with very small holes.

With no salt it pairs well with the region's savoury cured meats and cheeses, and it keeps for a long time.

At a glance

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Ingredients

Quantities for 1 piece of 943 g, kitchen at 20 °C

Preferment

  • Fine durum semolina (0, W340)116 g
  • Water58 g
  • Sourdough starter58 g

Dough

  • Fine durum semolina (0, W340)434 g
  • Water277 g

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Method

  1. Lievito madre: make it and let it ferment (at room temperature) (5 h 30 min)
    • Weigh the ingredients
    • Use water at 32 °C
    • Mix the flour, water and starter until you get a smooth batter
    • Transfer to a container, covered but not airtight
    The semolina starter is made by feeding your wheat sourdough starter just once with the semolina from the recipe: 1 part starter, 2 parts semolina, 1 part water. It is ready when it has doubled. A little wheat flour remains, but it is small compared with the total and does not change the result.
  2. Weigh the ingredients and knead (15 min)
    • Use water at 27 °C
  3. End of mixing, start of bulk rise (at room temperature) (20 min)
  4. Divide/shape, start proofing (at room temperature) (2 hours)
    After the short rest, which only serves to relax the gluten, shape a round loaf or a batard, tightly, without fully degassing the dough but closing it firmly: the crumb must stay dense, with very small holes.
  5. Ready to cook

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Baking

    • conventional oven, with steam
    • Overall temperature: 240 °C
    • Time: 15 minutes
    • With steam
    • conventional oven, with steam
    • Overall temperature: 200 °C
    • Time: 15 minutes
    • Lower the temperature, still with steam
    • conventional oven, without steam
    • Overall temperature: 200 °C
    • Time: 40 minutes
    • Remove the steam (open the vent or valve, if your oven has one) and finish baking

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