Su Civraxiu
Su Civraxiu
Naturally Leavened Sardinian Durum Bread
Su civraxiu, dialect deriving from the ancient words for “food” or “flour,” is the name for a sourdough bread that takes many forms throughout Sardinia—it can be domed, round, scored, or lumpy, but its function remains the same. It was the daily bread for families who baked once a week and lived off that loaf for the next seven days. In order to feed large families, loaves often weighed 5 pounds or more. The recipe here has been scaled down so the bread can be baked in a standard home oven. This bread requires lievito madre (“mother leavening” or “mother dough”), a sourdough starter, so be sure to get that going in advance. The dough undergoes a long hand-mixing period, so budget for that, too (though you can mix in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook on medium speed until smooth and elastic, 15 to 20 minutes, instead). All that hand-kneading pays off in texture dividends and, once baked, the bread will be light and airy on the inside with a crumbly crust, perfect for sopping up sauces from the pasta or meat chapters.
Ingredients (5)
Ingredients (5)
Instructions
Eight hours before you intend to bake, combine the lievito madre (¼ cup) with 35 grams of water (1 ½ cups) and 70 grams of finely milled semolina flour (4 ½ cups) in a medium bowl.
Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to ferment at room temperature for 4 to 8 hours, until doubled in size.
Combine 300 grams of the water and the remaining 500 grams of the flour in a large bowl and mix with a spoon until the dough is shaggy and there is no dry flour left in the bowl, about 5 minutes.
Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the flour to hydrate.
Uncover the bowl. Add the lievito madre mixture, salt (1 Tbsp), and remaining 35 grams of water and mix until well combined.
Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead for 40 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic, then form into a tight ball.
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl.
Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to ferment at warm room temperature (79°F to 82°F) for 3 hours, or until doubled in volume.
Invert the bowl over a well-floured surface, allowing the dough to detach itself from the bowl.
Press gently with your fingertips to deflate slightly. Grasp one edge of the dough. Pull this flap of dough upward and outward, then bring it back down and attach it to the top of the dough. Give the dough a one-sixth turn and repeat five more times, until you have rotated the dough a complete turn. You should now have a tight ball of dough.
Place a clean kitchen towel in a large, clean bowl and dust with flour.
Transfer the dough to the bowl seam-side down. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to let the dough rise at room temperature for 2 hours, or until it has nearly doubled in volume.
Preheat the oven to 480°F and set a baking steel or stone on the center rack of the oven to preheat as well. Place an empty ovenproof pot or pan at the bottom of the oven.
Uncover the bowl. Using the kitchen towel, invert the dough onto a pizza peel dusted with fine semolina or an inverted baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Transfer the dough to the preheated baking steel. Pour 2 cups hot water into the pot or pan below, closing the oven quickly to trap the steam.
Bake for 5 minutes.
Lower the oven temperature to 390°F and bake for 40 minutes more, until the loaf’s crust is dark golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on its underside.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack before slicing or storing.
The bread will keep, wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature, for 1 week.
