Pane Siciliano Recipes

PANE SICILIANO (SESAME SEED SICILIAN BREAD)

Steps:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, sift both flours, salt and yeast. Add ¾ cup of water.
• Mix on low speed until mixture comes together. If too dry, add additional 2 tablespoons of water a little at a time until mixture is sticky and pulling away from sides of bowl. If more water is needed, add one tablespoon at a time.
• Trade the paddle for a dough hook and mix the dough for four minutes or kneed by hand for six minutes on the counter.
• Transfer the dough to a bowl with a little bit of olive oil, turning dough so it is covered on all sides.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a dish towel and place in a warm location for about 90 minutes or until the dough rises to 1½ times its original size.
• Lightly punch the dough down and then cover. Place in the refrigerator overnight. This pre-dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to three days or freeze for three months.
• The next day and one hour before starting the bread dough, take Pate Fermentee out of the refrigerator and cut into 10 individuals pieces. Cover with plastic and a towel and let the dough warm up for one hour.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, sift together both flours, salt and yeast. Add in olive oil, honey, Pate Fermentee pieces and 1 ¼ cups of water. Mix on low speed until mixture comes together and is tacky and sticks to the sides of the bowl. Add remaining ¼ cup of water a teaspoon at a time if needed and only if needed. Dough should be sticky not dry.
• Switch the paddle attachment for a dough hook and turn on low speed. Continue at low speed for 4-6 minutes until know is properly kneaded, or kneed by hand for 6-8 minutes. If you pull out a piece and stretch it between your hands, it should stay together and you should be able to see light through the stretched dough. If it tears, continue to kneed.
• Transfer the dough to a bowl with a little bit of olive oil turning the dough so it is covered on all sides.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a dish towel and place in a warm place for about two hours or until the dough doubles from its original size.
• Gently divide the dough into three equal pieces and roll out into three two foot long rolls trying not to degas the dough too much. Press a crease down the center of each roll and fold over and seal as if you were sealing and envelope ending with seam side down. If dough is not pliable enough, let rest for five minutes then continue. You want the dough to stretch and stay stretched and not bounce back or pull back.
• Roll each end around pin wheel style towards the center. Each end should roll in the opposite direction of the other end so it forms the letter S. Do not roll too tight, the S loop on each end should be just one 360 degree turn.
• Sprinkle two sheet pans with a little semolina flour and place two loaves of dough on one pan and the third in the center of the other pan. Leave enough room for the bread to double in size.
• Mist the top of each dough with water and sprinkle sesame seeds over.
• Spray the tops with pan spray so plastic wrap does not stick.
• Stick a tooth pick or two into each dough and cover pan with plastic wrap.
• Place pans in the refrigerator overnight.
• Remove the three pans from the refrigerator and bring up to room temperature (a few hours) The dough should be twice the size as the day before and when poked, should not spring back.
• Place the oven rack in the middle of the oven and place a shallow roasting pan or a cast iron pan in the bottom of the oven. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
• Fill a teapot with water and bring to a boil. Fill a water mister with water.
• Once the oven is hot and the water is hot, uncover the dough and remove the tooth picks.
• Working quickly, place the bread dough onto the middle rack and pour a cup of hot water into the pan at the bottom of the oven and close the door. After 30 seconds, spray the oven walls with the mister and close the door. Repeat twice more at 30 second intervals.
• After the final spray, lower the oven temperature to 450 and bake for 15 minutes. Rotate the pan 180 degrees. At this point, if the loaves are touching, separate them slightly.
• Bake for another 10-15 minutes more until the loaves are rich and golden brown all over. If there are still white parts, extend the baking time a few extra minutes. Internal bread temp should be between 200 and 205 degrees using a probe thermometer.
• Remove the pans and transfer the bread to a cooling rack and cool for 45 minutes.
• Note: If you have the standard home oven, bake the two pans separately to make sure the heat and moisture are dispersed properly. If you have a larger oven, bake both pans together. All of the steps in this very long recipe are absolutely necessary for a superior finished product. Spray a fine mist of non-stick cooking spray (such as Pam) to give the loaves a fine sheen.

PANE SICILIANO

Steps:

• Remove the pâte fermentée from the refrigerator 1 hour before making the dough to take off the chill. Cut it into about 10 small pieces with a pastry scraper or serrated knife. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let sit for 1 hour to take off the chill.
• Stir together the high-gluten flour, semolina flour, salt, and yeast in a 4-quart bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). Add the pâte fermentée pieces, the oil, honey, and 1 1/4 cups water. Stir with a large spoon until the dough forms a ball (or mix on low speed with the paddle attachment). If the dough seems too stiff, dribble in water 1 teaspoon at a time until all the flour is gathered and the dough feels soft and pliable. If the dough seems sticky don't worry; you can adjust the flour while kneading or mixing.
• Sprinkle bread flour on the counter, transfer the dough to the counter, and knead (or mix on medium-low speed with the dough hook). Add flour as needed, sprinkling in a small amount at a time to make a smooth dough that is tacky but not sticky and has the same pliability and suppleness as French bread dough. Knead for about 10 minutes (or for 6 to 8 minutes by machine). The dough should pass the windowpane test (page 58) and register 77° to 81°F. Form the dough into a ball, lightly oil a large bowl, and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
• Ferment at room temperature for about 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.
• Gently divide the dough into 3 equal pieces. Shape as for baguettes (page 74), extending each piece to about 24 inches in length and taking care to degas the dough as little as possible. Then, working from each end simultaneously, coil the dough toward the center, forming an S shape (see image below). Line a sheet pan with baking parchment and sprinkle some semolina flour on the baking parchment. Place each loaf on the pan (or set up 1 loaf each on individual pans). Mist the loaves with water and sprinkle sesame seeds on the top of each loaf. Then mist the tops with vegetable spray oil and place the pan(s) in a food-grade plastic bag or loosely cover with plastic wrap.
• Place the pan(s) in the refrigerator overnight.
• The next day, remove the pan(s) from the refrigerator and determine whether the loaves have risen enough to bake or if they need additional proofing time. Gently poke the dough. If it springs back quickly, leave the pan(s) out, still covered, for a couple of hours, or until it wakes up and rises more. The dough should stay dimpled when poked, and the loaves should be nearly twice as large as when first shaped.
• Prepare the oven for hearth baking as described on pages 91-94, making sure to put an empty steam pan in place. You do not need a baking stone. Preheat the oven to 500°F with the oven rack on the middle shelf.
• Uncover the bread dough and place the pan(s) in the oven. Pour 1 cup hot water into the steam pan and close the door. After 30 seconds, spray the oven walls with water and close the door. Repeat twice more at 30-second intervals. After the final spray, lower the oven setting to 450°F and bake for about 15 minutes. If the loaves are touching, gently separate them. Rotate the pan(s) 180 degrees for even baking and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes more, or until the loaves are a rich golden brown all over. If there are still light or white sections of the dough, extend the baking time for a few extra minutes to maximize color and flavor. The internal temperature of the bread should register 200° to 205°F.
• Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the loaves to a cooling rack. Cool for at least 45 minutes before serving. One way to slice this bread is to cut it lengthwise down the middle. Lay the cut side on the cutting board to stabilize the loaf, and then slice into 3/4-inch-thick slices across the width, either straight down or on a slight diagonal.
• Enriched, standard dough; indirect method; commercial yeast
• Day 1: 1 1/4 hours pâte fermentée
• Day 2: 1 hour to de-chill pâte fermentée; 12 to 15 minutes mixing; 3 hours fermentation, shaping, and panning
• Day 3: 0 to 2 hours proofing; 30 to 35 minutes baking
• This dough can be used for many purposes beyond the traditional S-shaped loaf. It can be used as a pizza dough (it makes enough for six 8-ounce pizza crusts), for small rolls of any shape, and is also great for breadsticks.
• The bread can, in theory, be baked on the same day that it is shaped, but the difference in flavor and texture is dramatic if it is held overnight in the refrigerator (retarding method), as advised in the instructions. The overnight step makes this a 3-day process, though the final day is simply to bake the bread. Those who tested this recipe say the results are worth the delayed gratification.
• Pane Siciliano %
• Pâte fermentée: 100%
• High-gluten flour: 50%
• Semolina flour: 50%
• Salt: 1.9%
• Instant yeast: .88%
• Olive oil: 6.3%
• Honey: 4.7%
• Water (approx.): 68.8%
• Total: 282.6%