The re-milled semolina added to the bread gives it a more rustic texture and a slightly stronger flavor than regular flour. Due to the higher gluten content, the bread is more elastic, facilitates a better rising process and contributes to a more fragrant crust.
Try this easy, simplified bread recipe with semolina flour.
Ingredients:
300 g 2.⅓ cups of re-milled semolina flour
300 g / 2.⅓ cups of bread wheat flour (or Manitoba flour )
500 ml / 3 cups of lukewarm water
6 g / 1 tsp of salt
2 tbsp of olive oil
7 g / 1/2 tbsp of Instant dry yeast
How to make it:
Make this bread in the evening for the morning.
In a large bowl, put the flours and lukewarm water. Add the yeast in the middle and let it dissolve until it looks like a cream.
Wait 5 minutes for the yeast to activate.
Now add a teaspoon of salt. Make three quick turns with the bottle of extra virgin olive oil.
Gabriele, can I use vegetable oil? Yes, that’s fine.
Mix well until you have some sort of elastic, sticky mixture.
Cover with a lid and let it rise for half an hour.
Place in the refrigerator overnight to rise slowly.
In the morning, you'll find the dough has risen. Lightly flour the table and turn the bowl upside down. Wait a minute and the dough will fall onto the table by itself.
Spread the dough slightly by gently pulling it without squashing it.
Roll the dough one way and then the other to form a kind of ball.
Repeat the process, although this time it will be more elastic and harder to pull.
You will get a kind of floured ball.
Place a sheet of baking paper in a bowl, place the dough in the center and cover.
Let it rise for about an hour. It should double in volume.
When you see that it is rising well, turn the oven to 220°C (460°F) and place a heavy, lidded pot, which can be steel, cast iron, or earthenware, at least 10 inches in diameter, in the oven and heat in the oven on a low setting and in static mode.
When the oven is hot, remove the pot and place it next to the dough, remove the lid, take the dough from the paper corners, lift it up and place it in the hot pot. Put the lid back on and return to the oven.
Be very careful not to burn yourself!
Cook the bread for 40 minutes, but remember to remove the lid after the first 20 minutes.
After 40 minutes, remove the pot from the oven and remove the bread from the pot.
Let cool on a rack.
You will get soft bread with a nice fragrant crust. Once cooled, you can put it in a bag where it will keep for up to 5 days.