Puglia Style Sourdough Bread is our home-oven version of Pane di Altamura, the traditional bread of Puglia, Italy. With its hearty crust and flavorful crumb, this bread makes an excellent sandwich bread and is especially good served alongside soups and stews or used for dipping into sauces and savory dishes.
Traditional Pane di Altamura has a protected Denominazione di Origine Protetta (DOP) designation, meaning the bread must be made according to specific requirements involving its ingredients, production methods, and characteristics. The traditional bread has a substantial crust, a pale yellow crumb with an even distribution of air pockets, and a mildly sweet flavor that is not particularly acidic.
This recipe is in the style of Pane di Altamura rather than an authentic DOP Pane di Altamura. We use ingredients readily available in North America and bake the bread in a home oven rather than the traditional wood-fired oven.
The recipe gives you a choice of using fresh-milled durum wheat or semolina rimacinata, allowing you to make this rustic Italian-style sourdough with ingredients that are practical for a home baker.
Puglia style Sourdough Bread
Ingredients
Stiff Levain
- 55 g sourdough starter
- 65 g whole grain durum flour OR semolina rimacinata flour
- 40 g water
Durum Version
- 240 g fresh-milled durum wheat berries OR whole grain durum flour 1 3/4 cups + 1 Tbsp flour
- 160 g bread flour 1 1/4 cups
- 330 g water 1 1/3 cups + 1 Tbsp
- 160 g stiff levain all that was built above, ~1 cup compressed
- 9 g salt 1 1/2 tsp
Semolina Version
- 400 g semolina rimacinata flour 3 cups + 1 Tbsp flour
- 300 g water 1 1/4 cups
- 160 g stiff levain all that was built above, ~1 cup compressed
- 9 g salt 1 1/2 tsp
Instructions
- Build the Stiff Levain
- Combine the sourdough starter, whole-grain durum flour or semolina rimacinata flour, and water. Mix until well combined.
- Cover and let the stiff levain ferment until it has doubled to tripled in size.
- Make the Dough
- Combine all of the dough ingredients, including the ripe stiff levain. Mix until all of the ingredients are incorporated.
- Scrape the dough onto a clean work surface. Use the slap-and-fold method for about 7 minutes to develop the gluten.
- Transfer the dough to a clean container, cover, and let it rise until doubled in size, about 4–6 hours. If desired, continue developing the gluten during this time with coil folds or a lamination.
- Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface and preshape it into a ball. Cover and let it rest and complete the final proof for about 1 hour.
- About 30 minutes before the end of the final proof, begin preheating the oven to 500°F with a round baking vessel inside. Alternatively, the bread can be baked on a baking stone with a steam system or covered with an inverted roasting pan.
- Shape the dough according to your preferred final shape.
- Carefully transfer the shaped dough to the preheated baking vessel and reduce the oven temperature to 480°F.
- Bake covered at 480°F for 25 minutes.
- Remove the cover, reduce the oven temperature to 450°F, and continue baking for 10–15 minutes, or until the bread is deeply browned and the internal temperature is above 205°F.
- Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool before slicing.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Art of Cooking Recipes (Paulson Pursuits} is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
