STIR THE POTS

Pane Di Altamura By D.O.P Standards

While milling some durum into rimacinata at home, I revisited the   Pane di Altamura DOP on making Pane di Altamura. Using well-refreshed lievito naturale, I found that using their prescribed timing and methods leads to great results for this fabulous golden bread from Puglia. And it turned out wonderfully using home milled, organic grain from America.

Long Retard

Making a batch Pane di Altamura dough, I realized it wasn't going to happen, so I plopped my semola rimacinata dough into the fridge for thirty-six hours! Returning from my Labor day visit to moms I removed a much nicer lighter dough proofed in a slow cold bulk. I shaped it cold and set it to proof in a banneton for another six hours. Cat woke me and the obvious signs of doughs puffy state saying, "bake me!" DOP regs for Pane di Altamura are specific, I've already mentioned in previous endeavours; codes be damned when you get a delicious crust and crumb with airy and not even acid tasting dough. Retarding dough used to be a drag, with mottled grey finished loaves coming out. No more, I got this thing,yes!!!

Reprised - Semola Rimacinata

Since purchasing over ten pounds of semola rimacinata, I've tried the very detailed step by step rules of Pane di Altamura regs according to the European commision which certified its protected status ( La denominazione di origine protetta).

It's safe to say that the water and climate of my apartment just doesn't resemble southern Italy. Even with a proofer, I wasn't getting the boost or soft crumb leading to a honey gold crust. Thankfully I took note of Ibán Yarza's efforts on his blog. Just so I wasn't losing a bit of sleep or wasting flour by chancing itm I contacted him for details on twitter.

@stirthepots That's it.Autolysed water+flour +1 h.; mix w SD (nearly 30%), wait 30 m.; salt+knead; rest + 1h. 22º;15h fridge; 2 h 23º; Bake!

Iban's version is virtually the same percentages in ingredients as the "DOP" regs; but the boost is in a bit more levain, a good hour of autolyse, then mix with a short bulk ferment, and plop into fridge for fifteen hours. Heretical as I perhaps, but wow, what a fantastic result. This was the reboot I needed to get this fantastic batard!

Antico pane (a heretic's assignment!)

Stir the Pots' 2011 New Year's resolution; this will be the year for breads of the world. Helping us out, I just met a bread baker from Italy who passed on a recipe for D.O.P. Pane di Altamura... Wow, what a pedigreed loaf composed of 100 percent semola rimacinata, a fine ground durum wheat. Unfortunately, I only had about 70 grams left in a bag I bought from my salume, Frank of Sorriso's Italian Pork Store. It was a challenge. Soooo... digging deep into a useful nearby bag of tricks (namely invention-by-necessity), I replaced the rest of said semolina with kamut, which hails from Asia Minor as opposed to what's found in Mediterranean major. 

Is that brilliance, courage, or an insult to Italy, by my mother's blood, part of my own anscestral nation? Hopefully, it's the first two. Actually, I left the the answer up to the same  chef who gave me the bread recipe, Angela Musci from Bari whose wonderful baking inspired me to take a plunge and try this. She goaded me by saying, "we need eretici," or translated "we need heresy!"

It got worse....I didn't have any semolina starter, so chancing that I was flying face first towards a 400 degree visit to Dante's inferno, I used my white starter! May the heavens forgive me. Just in case the heavens weren't so kind, I Googled Pane di Altamura, finding a few interesting guides for traditional shapes here. Though the final look of the bread make it look more rustic then wanted, I realize that his kamut is a grain I will continue to master. As for the pane, it's actually light and has a wonderful smell. Moral of this heresy? Good things come from baking or, "il pane che viene dal forno che è caldo come l'inferno!"