Sicilian No Knead Bread
This Sicilian no knead bread recipe holds a solid place on my short list of favorite no knead recipes. Huge thanks to its creator Ed Pillitteri from Seattle, who is generously sharing it with us. Serve with spaghetti, eggplant parmesan or lasagna and watch your family or guests weep with joy.
Ed Pillitteri - Sicilian No Knead Creator
That’s the good news.
On the flip side, some of its ingredients are not easily found in most grocery stores. One of those is durum flour. While closely related to common durum semolina flour, which is also milled from durum wheat, durum flour is a much finer grind and performs much better in bread baking than its courser cousin. If you happen to live near a Whole Foods type grocery store, see if they carry it. Otherwise, check for chapatti flour. Chapatti flour, used mostly for the Indian flat bread, is durum flour with a little bran in it. I’ve used both and can’t tell the difference. Failing that, you can purchase it on line from King Arthur Flour and perhaps other places.
Update: See Ed’s comment below about doing a search for “Golden Temple Durum Atta Flour”. Also, Thanks to Eileen for finding another good on line source for durum flour (http://www.barryfarm.com).
The other not so common ingredient is barley malt syrup. Most health food grocers should either sell it or be able to get it for you. The brand I see around is Eden (edenfoods.com). Barley malt syrup is occasionally called for in other bread recipes as well, most notably bagel recipes.
If you’ve made it this far and are actually ready to start baking, congratulations, the rest is relatively easy.
Following is the recipe, instructions and a video thrown in for good measure. In the video I make Ed’s original version and also a sourdough version.
No Knead Sicilian Style Bread
300 grams (~2 cups) Durum flour (not semolina for pasta)
120 grams (~1 cup) White bread flour
1 1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp Instant Yeast
1 1/2 cup Purified Water
1 Tbs Barley Malt Syrup
1 Tbs EV Olive Oil
1/4 cup Sesame Seeds
(for the sourdough version I simply substitute 1/4 cup of starter for the 1/4 tsp instant yeast)
Mix the two flours, salt and yeast in a bowl. In a separate container (2 cup measuring cup works well) measure out the water then add the malt and stir until combined. Add the olive oil and pour it all into the flour mixture. The mixture may seem too dry but don’t add more water. The Durum flour takes a bit longer to absorb the water so cover for 10 minutes after mixing then mix again, briefly.
Place the bowl in plastic bag or cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 18 hours.
On a well floured surface, flatten dough and fold into three (like a letter) then in half. Cover with plastic or a towel and let rest for 15 minutes.
Preparing the proofing basket: Brush or spray the inside of the basket liberally with good olive oil. While standing over the sink (to avoid a mess), sprinkle the sesame seeds evenly inside the bowl, pressing them in the grooves (if using a basket) with your fingers.
Depending on the container (proofing basket) to be used, shape the dough into a ball or log. Place dough in the basket, cover with a kitchen towel or lightly with plastic and let rise for up to 1 ½ hours.
At least 30 minutes before baking, heat a large Dutch oven, including lid, or La Cloche Baker ( highly recommended) in the oven at 475 degrees. Once preheated, remove the lid, invert the loaf into the La Cloche, replace lid and bake for 30 minutes. (The parchment paper technique, shown in the video, also works well for moving the dough to your baking vessel.) After 30 minutes with the lid on, remove lid and bake for 5 to 10 minutes more to finish baking and achieve a nice golden brown crust and toasted sesame seeds – be careful not to burn yourself.
Cool to room temperature on a rack before eating – no cheating. Buon Appetito .
Notes:
Ed later added this:
“I lightly toasted lightly toasted the sesame seeds in a frying pan then soaked them in water for a few minutes and drained them well. I lined an oblong proofing basket with parchment paper, lightly sprayed with oil, and let the dough rise as usual. Just before baking, I brushed the top of the loaf with water then packed the seeds all over the top in a single layer, lowered it into the La Cloche and slashed the loaf one time down the center. I think the combination of toasting and increased quantity of the sesame seeds added a lot of flavor.”
One of Ed's Gems
Nice oven spring and natural split
By placing your dough in the oven before it’s fully risen, you’re more likely to get the nice oven spring (a quick burst of rising in the first minutes of baking) and the artsy splits in the crust as pictured above. In the video, the oblong loaf over proofed (for my taste) and rose no further during baking.
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The bread looks beautifull. i am going to bake it. thank you.
And with a real sicilian to.
my nephew in Switseland is a baker. he is born in Sicily, but lives in Basel.
I will send him a link.
Ciao Eveline Salario
I can’t wait to try this recipe! I am curious about the comment made under the loaf picture though. About placing the dough in the oven before it has completely risen to achieve a nicer rise in the bread??? Then just how long should the bread rise before doing this???
Thanks, Pam
erik: could you substitue barley malt powder for the syrup/ I’ve got the powder-
Evan
Wow Eric! You’ve outdone yourself again. I’m sure this will be another winner to add to the collection. I’m going out right now to buy the ingredients! Susan in Calgary
where do you get the Durum flour?
Your bread looks good^^
I have question about your bredstarter jar.
How much volume or weight you make breadstarter in your jar and how long you can keep and use it? breadstarter jar keep in refrigerator until how many days can use?
It’s been a while since I’ve “come over” but I was wondering if I could use molasses instead of the barley malt?
Hi Beth,
After doing some research on the web….I’m going to substitue the barley malt syrup with either honey, or molasses. Shouldn’t make that much difference really.
Thanks so much for the heads-up on Sicilian bread. I’ll be making it soon. I’ve been having trouble making a satisfactory whole wheat bread so i’m looking forward to your next video. Betty
The bread looks wonderful. I will definitely use your recipe. I’ve checked in on you quite often over the last few months waiting for a new posting. Since finding this site I’ve gotten very adventurous since the beginning of the year. I’ve managed to keep my original sourdough starter alive, well and thriving. I’ve named him Sammy. I’ve come up with a sourdough gorgonzola with purple onion and even done lemon zest rosemary (I saw in williams sonoma catalog) with added greek yogurt. Yummy. You are an inspiration and thanks for all your great videos and advice.
Hi Folks. I think I’ll try to address any questions in one post here to spare subscribers from more emails than necessary.
Pam – It’s impossible to give a specific time as to how long to let the dough rise to get better “oven spring”. It’s going to vary like crazy depending on the room temperature, humidity, the recipe (and no doubt the position of the planets and stars). Aside from consulting with an astrologer, about all you can do is bake scads of loaves until you develop a sense for when to pop the dough in the oven. Even then, it’s hard to hit all the time.
I think the reason professional bakers can get it right so consistently is they take great care to control their ingredients, their quantities and their environment (heat and humidity) and of course their great skill that comes from vast experience.
Bottom line: it gets easier with experience.
Evan – Yes. The barley malt syrup adds some flavor, and the sweetness an extra kick to the yeast. The powder would do the same thing.
Dale – Check the paragraph under the picture of Ed above. That’s everything I know about getting Durum flour.
Beth and Pam – By all means, please let us know how honey and/or molasses works in place of barley malt. Could be very interesting.
Fran –
Hi Song,
The sourdough starter jar has a 1 1/2 quart capacity. You should find the answers to most of your sourdough starter management questions on this sourdough starter management page.
I’ll definitely let you know how it goes, as soon as I can get to it that is…
hi Eric, looks great! I’ll try it as soon as I find the ingredients…
I do have a couple of general questions I’m hoping you have an answer for…
1. What exactly does removing the lid do i.e why remove the lid could the whole thing be baked lid on or would this affect the crust or bread somehow?
2. I’d like to have freshly baked bread in the morning for breakfast but I don’t want to get up at 4 am or earlier… My breadmachine was great at filling the morning air with freshly-baked-bread aromas but produces lousy breads. I wonder if any one has figured out schedule for this desired result. No-knead or a no-knead variation or any recipe for a great bread really as long as I can shuff it into the oven early morning and enjoy is ca 90 min later.
Thanks
Jacob V.
Looking forward to trying this new recipe! Hats off to you, Eirk. It’s great that you’re still investigating and trying new kinds of bread recipes…and responding to your readers! Iit sure motivates me to experiment along with you.
Best of the holidays,
Tony
To Jacob V. This is Fran. I would like to chime in on what I’ve been doing with the sourdough bread. I found that when I put my bread in a preheated LeCruset pot that my crust was way to crusty for me to enjoy. For my taste, I like my bread much better when I put it uncovered in a preheated 400 degree oven in a cold pot lined with parchment paper. It still comes out plenty crusty for my taste. Sometimes I get really great oven spring and other times not so high but it is always great bread that my family and friends enjoy. I think what Eirk said is true. Home kitchens just don’t have the stable atmosphere of a bakery. As to the fresh baked morning bread I wouldn’t know how to resolve that. When the bread comes out of the oven it really does need to cool for at the very least an hour. How about baking the night before, cooling overnight then slicing in the morning?
Wow! The Sicilian bread is very nice. I baked up a loaf this morning, it had a different aroma to it due to the different flour. I couldn’t find durum flour so I settled on Golden Temple durum with bran made for rotis and chapattis. I also used 1/2 molasses & 1/2 honey in place of the barley malt syrup which worked well. I also did the yeasted version which dbl. in 9 hrs since my kitchen is around the 72F mark. I’m sure the sourdough starter formula would be a hit! Oh yes–this bread had a very nice oven spring as well. I just used my enameled cast iron @450F covered for 40 mins. Thank you Eric for a wonderful bread recipe. If anyone tries the Sicilian out using barley malt syrup pls. let me know of the outcome so we can compare notes! Susan in Calgary
This sounds less difficult than the instructions in The Bread Baker’s Apprentice book. I hope to make this for Thanksgiving. If I do, I shall post photos. I do not have baking pans; I typically bake a boule in the oven on a stone surface.
A question though, is Semolina flour the same as Durum flour?
Hi Rob.
That would be great. But you’ll need to email me the photos and I’ll post them.
Semolina flour is not the same. Close, but not close enough. See the paragraph under the photo of Ed above. It covers this a little.
Hi Rob: Where can I get a hard copy of your wonderful reicpies ??
Here in Italy we use only barley malt powder, not syrup just because syrup is sweeter than powder; but powder is difficult to find. If you use “semolino di grano duro” instead of “semolino rimacinato” when you cut the bread is possible that the slice of bread crumbles a little bit.
Ciao
Hi, Eric!
Well, I discovered that locating durum wheat flour was difficult, but I was also anxious to try this new recipe. I used all KA bread flour and got…pudding!! The flour didn’t absorb enough of the 1.5 cups of water. BUT, the resulting bread was wonderful!!! Never tasted such light dough and the crust was like crisp paper.
I’ll try again when I locate the durum.
Has anyone else tried all-KA bread flour in this recipe?
Tony
Hi Tony; I never tried making the bread out of only KA bread flour. If you have a Indian grocery store in your area their Chapati flour is one in the same as Durum flour.
Just made this. Fed 1/4 cup very wet starter with 1/4 cup flour, fermented 24 hours, then made dough. Used 1 tablespoon non-diastatic malt powder in place of syrup.
Dough was very silky and delicate to the touch– a pleasure to work with.
Good oven spring, but texture a bit tighter than in Ed’s photo (above).
Wonderful crust, fabulous taste. Easy, and a real winner.
I found Durum flour in the Indian section of an international grocery. It’s used for making chapatis and such. Careful buying flour in the Indian section, as they have flour made from “everything”
A question for Ed Pillitteri. Where do I find the Durum Flour for the NK Sicilian in the Puget Sound area? I’ve looked all over, but so far no luck except online from King Arthur, but with a hefty $8 shipping charge. I am in the Tacoma area Ed, so if you have a place in Seattle that you get the flour, I get up there often enough that I could get the flour while I am up there for business.
I tried Metropolitan Market and Marlene’s Deli. So far no luck.
Thanks.
Hi Jeff,
Ed may not be living on his computer like I tend to do…
I searched through some past email correspondence with Ed and he mentioned that he purchased his durum flour from Pacific Food Imports in Seattle. It may only be available in fairly large quantities, like 50 lb sacks.
Hi Jeff,
Eric is correct, Big John’s PFI is the best source in Seattle at 1001 6th Ave S., a couple of blocks east of Qwest Fiels. It’s in the lower level of an old brick industrial building, kind of hidden down a long driveway.
It’s a fun store frequented by area chefs and other foodies with all kinds of Mediterranean imports, cheese, olives (1lb minimum) flours, beans, spices all in bins. Durum is $1.10 a pound. Another place is the Indian grocery store on 148th in Bellevue behind Fred Meyer – I don’t know the name. Only problem there is you have to buy a 20lb bag.
Ed
Hi Eric and fellow bread baking enthusiasts.
First: Thank you Eric for producing another terrific video. As you know, I have been a fan of yours for some time and am honored that you would choose my recipe to join the ranks of the other yummy breads that you have featured. I’ve tried them all more than once and have never been disappointed.
Here are a few late breaking “add on” tips for Sicilian Style Bread.
Managing the sesame seeds: If you recall in the video, as Eric slices the loaf he says something like “seeds all over the place” – that says it all. The remedy, make a wash of 1 egg white and 1 or 2T of water slightly beaten. Just before you bake, brush the top of the loaf and sprinkle the seeds. Toasting the seeds first is highly recommended and be generous – very tasty. Please note that this will be bit of a challenge for those inverting the loaf from a round proofing basket but if you’re lowering the dough into the baking vessel via parchment paper, it works like a charm.
Substitute ingredients: I read that several members have tried substitute ingredients such as molasses or malt powder. They all work and will produce a great loaf – but understand that it’s different. Malt syrup adds a subtle flavor all it’s own. I always try a recipe as written to establish a baseline then go from there.
Another interesting use of durum flour: Following Eric’s basic recipe for a sour dough loaf, use one cup each of durum, whole wheat and white bread flour. I found a 12 hour fermentation is good and only one hour second rise at around 70 F.
Have fun.
Ed
Ed/ Eric,
Thanks. Next time I am up in Seattle during the week, I will swing by and get some Durum Flour! Can’t wait to try the recipe. Merry Christmas.
-Jeff
Hi–Absolutely love the bread that I make using your techniques and recipes. It feels a tad like cheating because so little work is involved.
This may be a stupid question but how does one clean the proofing basket after it has been sprayed with olive oil?
Thanks so much for the ideas, techniques and tools to make such wonderful bread!
Debbie
Hi Debbie,
That’s a very good question. I spray it with hot water and dry it quickly over the still hot stove top. There’s a little video that shows what I mean:
http://www.breadtopia.com/store/oblong-brotform-proofing-basket.html. Click the thumbnail image to the right of the main video that says “cleaning proofing basket” underneath it.
I use poly brotforms from fantes.com . I have a round and a rectangular. They are extremely slippery by themselves, but a little Baker’s Secret Spray doesn’t hurt. You can wash them with soap and water– takes about 5 seconds.
That said, I’ve switched to doing all my no-kneads with a parchment paper or silicone sheet lining the brotform. Flipping the dough was always messy and risky for me, and it inevitably caused some deflation. Not worth it just to get the pretty pattern.Transfer in the paper directly to the cloche or dutch oven is easier and neater.
What is “oo” flour and when do you use it?
I tried to locate durum flour at an Indian grocery and they didn’t carry it. Also called our local Whole Foods store and they only offered it in combo with semolina flour.
So I’m back to the original recipe…sad that I must discard the Sicilian recipe at least for a while, since I’m of Sicilian descent.
Tony
Tony – did you ask the Indian grocer if they carry chapatti flour? Chapatti flour is durum flour.
Update: Based on Ray’s comment below, obviously Chapatti flour isn’t necessarily durum flour. Can be whole wheat too. Keep reading below – it gets a little clearer I think.
Hi Tony,
Do a search for “Golden Temple Durum Atta Flour”. There are several sites that sell it. This flour is durum blended with all purpose but the bread it produces is very close to that made with pure durum. Amazon has a Chappati (aka Chapatti) flour but it doesn’t list ingredients so you can’t be sure what’s in it. You can get pure durum at King Arthur. In all cases, the shipping makes it pretty expensive.
Ed
Yes, Eric,
I did contact an Indian grocer and he didn’t carry that flour. Funny, but the present proprietor of the “Casa Italiana” grocery is this Indian fellow and his wife. They bought it from an Italian couple when they retired. They sell as mulch Italian groceries as Indian.
Thanks, Ed; I’ll google the Golden Temple Durum Atta Flour and check out KA.
Ain’t bread great!!!!!
Tony
long time lurker, first comment here.
a big thanks to Eric and all you posters here!
Barley malt syrup or powder will be availible at homebrewing supply stores…check your local phonebook.
try to get diastatic malt powder if you can, it has active enzymes that will help the yeast work. it is availble from KA flour also.
difficulty obtaining durum flour is yet another reason to mill your own grain, you could run semolina through it.
kamut is a close relative of durum and is very good in the no knead bread.
i gotta try this recipe, thanks Ed!
I found and purchased the flour Ed P suggested; it was in the Indian section. Ed mentioed a good point though. There were bags of Chapatti flour sold also but the sole ingredient was: “whole wheat flour”.
The Durum Atta had: durum wheat flour and wheat bran as Eric had stated above.
Hi Eric – here’s something about the Durum flour: I have searched for it on eBay ever since this post came out and found nothing. Today I searched again and found it in an eBay store. They also have a website, which is cheaper to order from (although by only cents): http://www.barryfarm.com Check it out — it could be a good resource for bread bakers! Also I received my yeast and thermometer yesterday. Thank you very much and Happy New Year!
Ed,
I found Big John’s PFI. A very yummy place. Lots to checkout. I got the Durum flour. Thanks. I am going to start a loaf today or tomorrow!
Jeff,
Great. Let me know if I can help.
Ed/Eric. Thanks for the offer. Your instructions were great. I finished the Sicilian loaf last night and had some this morning. I tend to favor the darker more rustic breads, whole wheat, rye, etc. but I gotta say that this loaf is just fantastic taste. This will now be in my short-list rotation of NK breads. I followed Ed’s recommendations of the toasted and soaked sesame seeds which were just mouth watering. I highly recommend to all.
Finding the Durum flour can take a bit of extra effort, but it is well worth it when you bite in to the finished product.
Happy New Year!
My local Whole Foods (Middletown, NJ) now carries durum flour in their bulk dept.
The sesame seeds look very nice, but no matter how firmly I press them into the top, most of the seeds fall off the baked loaf while it is being cut. Few actually are eaten, and they escapees skitter around the kitchen making a nuisance. I think I may stop using them.
Have you tried an egg wash to ‘glue” them to the bread?
Hi Harvey,
So far, I’ve found no solution for the “seed fallout” problem on the round loaf when I use the “original method” of spraying the basket with oil, sprinkling seeds (no parchment) then inverting.
However, using the parchment method, I’ve been able to mitigate by liberally brushing an egg white & water wash (see my 12-22 post) on the loaf just before slashing and baking. It isn’t perfect but it has worked well for me.
I really like the sesame flavor so l bake the seeds into the bottom of the loaf too. So, for the final rise, I liberally spray the parchment with olive oil, apply a solid layer of seeds on the paper, lay the dough in and press it down a bit. This produces a solidly embedded layer on the bottom that seems to stay put. You will still loose a bunch of seeds when you slice the loaf and you may still decide to abandon their use but this helps a lot.
Another way to get added sesame flavor is to add some tahini to the dough. I’ve only tried it once dissolving 1/3 cup in the water, eliminating the olive oil, and reversing the white / durum flour ratio – not a blockbuster but quite good.
You no doubt know this but just in case, Tahini (aka Tahina) is a paste made from ground sesame seeds. It’s most recognized use in the US is in hummus. Look for Tahini made from roasted seeds rather than raw,
Barry Farm is also carrying the barley malt syrup, so you can order everything you need for this bread from them. I’m on my way to trying this delicious-looking loaf!
I made the no knead Sicilian bread today with fine ground semolina flour I had on hand and it can out terrific!! I proofed it in the rectangular banneton with parchment paper and sesame seeds… then into the rectangular La Cloche.
Yum!!!!
The crumb on the last bread that I made came out sticky. It was very difficult to slice it. what did I do wrong?
What was the internal temp when you removed it from the oven?
Or did you perhaps cut it too soon?
Thank you for answering so soon. Just so happens that I did take the temp. and it was 210o I used a quick read thermometer. I also let it cool down almost the whole day. ( I went shopping when I took it out of the oven)
The only thing that I can think of is that i baked it in a teflon pot.
Reading your recent addition of the Sicilian No-Knead Bread, there seems to be a great deal of confusion regarding Durum wheat and Semolina.
All Semolina produced in the U.S. is made from Durum wheat. This is a federally mandated standard.
Semolina is milled from the endosperm of the Durum wheat berry. The germ and bran are removed. Most Semolina is used in the production of high quality pasta. The ingredient list will state “100% Durum Semolina” or Durum Semolina plus other ingredients such as egg in egg noodles.
Most Semolina is granulated (coarse grind). It can be reground by the home baker to produce fine Semolina flour in a blender, food processor or grain mill.
A couple of sources I researched on bread stated that the coarser version of Semolina can be used in bread with extra time being allowed for the Semolina to fully hydrate. This should not be a problem in the No-Knead recipe, due to the 12-18 hour fermentation time.
Duram Atta flour is by definition a whole wheat product. The percentage of germ and bran is variable.
“Atta” is the Hindi word for a kind of wheat flour commonly used in South Asian cooking. It is a whole wheat flour made from hard wheat.” Wikipedia.com
In Canada flour can be referred to as “whole wheat” with as much 70% of the germ removed.
Canadian consumers can be assured of whole-grain products by a label stating “100% whole grain whole wheat”.
The confusing thing regarding the Sicilian No-Knead bread is the use of Durum flour.
The Sicilian bread recipes that I am familiar with use Semolina as an ingredient, as a topping and under the loaf much as cornmeal under rye bread.
I think that your viewers can feel free to experiment with both products of the Durum wheat berry.
I also would like to relate that many people from South-Western Asia, i.e. India, Pakistan, etc… have a dim view of Golden Temple Durum Atta Flour, at least when used in their traditional breads. This is a Canadian flour product.
For Roti, Paratha, Naan and Chapati this is not a product comparable to the flour of their homeland.
This is not meant to infer that GT flour is not acceptable for the Sicilian NK bread.
I have included several excerpts from other websites on the subject of Durum and Semolina.
Thank You,
Darrell
Durum wheat or macaroni wheat (also spelled Durhum); (Triticum durum or Triticum turgidum durum) is the only tetraploid species of wheat of commercial importance that is widely cultivated today.
Durum in Latin means “hard”, and the species is the hardest of all wheats. Its high protein and gluten content, as well as its strength, make durum good for special uses.
Durum wheat is a tetraploid wheat, having twenty-eight chromosomes, unlike hard red winter and hard red spring wheats, which are hexaploid and have forty-two chromosomes each.
Production
Most of the durum grown today is amber durum, the grains of which are amber-colored and larger than those of other types of wheat. Durum has a yellow endosperm, which gives pasta its color.
When durum is milled, the endosperm is ground into a granular product called semolina. Semolina made from durum is used for premium pastas and breads. There is also a red durum, used mostly for livestock feed.
Processing
Durum wheat is subject to four processes: cleaning, milling, tempering and purifying.
First durum wheat is cleaned to remove foreign material and shrunken and broken kernels. Then it is tempered to a moisture content, toughening the seed coat for efficient separation of bran and endosperm. Durum milling is a complex procedure involving repetitive grinding and sieving. Proper purifying results in maximum semolina yield and the least amount of bran powder.
To produce bread, durum wheat is ground into flour. The flour is mixed with water to produce dough. The quantities mixed vary, depending on the acidity of the mixture. The dough is fermented for hours and then mixed with yeast and lukewarm water. The quality of the bread produced depends on viscoelastic properties of gluten, protein content and protein composition.
Reading your recent addition of the Sicilian No-Knead Bread, there seems to be a great deal of confusion regarding Durum Wheat and Semolina.
All Semolina produced in the U.S. is made from Durum Wheat. This is a federally mandated standard.
Semolina is milled from the endosperm of the Durum wheat berry. The germ and bran are removed.
Most Semolina is used in the production of high quality pasta. The ingredient list will state “100% Durum Semolina” or Durum Semolina plus other ingredients such as egg in egg noodles.
Most Semolina is granulated (coarse grind).
It can be reground by the home baker to produce fine Semolina flour in a blender, food processor or grain mill.
A couple of sources I researched on bread stated that the coarser version of Semolina can be used in bread with extra time being allowed for the Semolina to fully hydrate.
This should not be a problem in the No-Knead recipe, due to the 12-18 hour fermentation time.
Duram Atta flour is by definition a whole wheat product.
The percentage of germ and bran is variable.
“Atta is the Hindi word for a kind of wheat flour commonly used in South Asian cooking. It is a whole wheat flour made from hard wheat.” Wikipedia.com
In Canada flour can be referred to as “whole wheat” with as much 70% of the germ removed.
Canadian consumers can be assured of whole-grain products by a label stating “100% whole grain whole wheat”.
The confusing thing regarding the Sicilian No-Knead bread is the use of Durum flour.
The Sicilian bread recipes that I am familiar with use Semolina as an ingredient, as a topping and under the loaf much as cornmeal under rye bread.
I think that your viewers can feel free to experiment with both products of the Durum wheat berry.
I also would like to relate that many people from South-Western Asia, i.e. India, Pakistan, etc… have a dim view of Golden Temple Durum Atta Flour, at least when used in their traditional breads.
For Roti, Paratha, Naan and Chapati this is not a product comparable to the flour of their homeland.
This is not meant to infer that GT flour is not acceptable for the Sicilian NK bread.
I have included several excerpts from other websites on the subject of Durum and Semolina.
Thank You,
Darrell
Durum wheat or macaroni wheat (also spelled Durhum); (Triticum durum or Triticum turgidum durum) is the only tetraploid species of wheat of commercial importance that is widely cultivated today.
Durum in Latin means “hard”, and the species is the hardest of all wheats. Its high protein and gluten content, as well as its strength, make durum good for special uses.
Durum wheat is a tetraploid wheat, having twenty-eight chromosomes, unlike hard red winter and hard red spring wheats, which are hexaploid and have forty-two chromosomes each.
Production
Most of the durum grown today is amber durum, the grains of which are amber-colored and larger than those of other types of wheat.
Durum has a yellow endosperm, which gives pasta its color.
When durum is milled, the endosperm is ground into a granular product called semolina. Semolina made from durum is used for premium pastas and breads.
There is also a red durum, used mostly for livestock feed.
Processing
Durum wheat is subject to four processes: cleaning, milling, tempering and purifying.
First durum wheat is cleaned to remove foreign material and shrunken and broken kernels. Then it is tempered to a moisture content, toughening the seed coat for efficient separation of bran and endosperm. Durum milling is a complex procedure involving repetitive grinding and sieving. Proper purifying results in maximum semolina yield and the least amount of bran powder.[16]
To produce bread, durum wheat is ground into flour. The flour is mixed with water to produce dough. The quantities mixed vary, depending on the acidity of the mixture. The dough is fermented for hours and then mixed with yeast and lukewarm water. The quality of the bread produced depends on viscoelastic properties of gluten, protein content and protein composition.
I finally found Durum flour in an Indian Market, thanks to a tip above. I did a google search with my zip for Indian grocery markets, and Main Street Market in Woodland, CA came up. They sell Hathibrand Durum Flour Atta in 20 lb bags at 10.49. I haven’t baked with it yet, and am wondering, since the storefront seemed to advertise as a liquor store, and I’m not sure how quickly flour would move off their shelves, if there was some way of knowing when flour is fresh, since the bag didn’t carry an expiration date. Can you tell the freshness of flour by sight or is it a taste thing? Thanks.
I’m not sure how you test flour for freshness. Your typical milled flour that is degermed will keep for ages as long as it’s not infested with bugs which can be detected by sight. It’s milled whole wheat flour containing the wheat germ oil that I would be concerned would get rancid, or at least loose much of its nutritional value through oxidation eventually. Whole wheat berries (wheat before milling) will last ages as well.
Hi Eric,
I’m a police officer & began baking bread 5 years ago as a way to relieve stress & have some quality bread. I started with a bread machine which was OK, but made a kind of like “near-bread”. I had a lot of failures when I started to make real bread. I baked one loaf that came out looking like a brown brick. I threw it in the back yard figuring the squirrels would eat it. The next morning I found it by my back door. I guess the squirrels gave it back.
I bought books on bread baking & sourdough. I started my own strain of wild yeast & have kept it alive for four years. I found your website just recently & have enjoyed reading & learning from you & the others on this site. Being Italian, I was thrilled to find the Sicilian bread recipe.
I have made the recipe twice; one with yeast & one sourdough. I will Email you some pics. They both tasted great. The only problem I can see is that the water content is too high. The first time I made it (yeast) it was soupy & I had to add 9 table spoons of bread flour to get the dough to form into a ball that I could handle. The second time I made it (sourdough) I cut the water back to 1 1/4 cups. It was still too wet & would not form into a dough ball.
It took several additional table spoons of flour before it would form into a ball.
I checked the recipe & watched your video again & you do say to use 1 1/2
cups of water. I even used a scale set to grams & weighed the ingredients so that I would be accurate.
So, what am I doing wrong?
Big Tuna
Hi Big Tuna,
Your bread looks pretty good to me!
I’m don’t know why the big range of results from one baker to another while following the same recipe. Weather conditions can affect the dough hydration and flour can vary in moisture content.
Ultimately, I think it mostly comes down to playing around with different ratios of flour and water, like you’re doing, until you strike the right consistency.
I made the Sicilian No Knead using Ed’s original instructions and was very happy with the results. However, after then reading Ed’s 12/22/08 post, I am unclear as to whether he soaks the toasted sesame seeds before adding them to the top of the loaf when he uses a egg/water wash? In other words, what is the purpose of soaking the seeds? Help with adherence? Burning? Both? Other? My thanks to Ed for a great recipe!
Hi Mike,
Thanks for the input and kind words.
The subject of “seed management” has been a work in progress since the original recipe was posted. My apologies for the confusion.
The bottom line – forget soaking the seeds. It was only marginally effective.
Ed
Hi Eric, I have made your recipe 3 times so far and am very pleased. I could kick myself for discarding my clay bakers before finding this site. Anyway, someone posted about storing the dough in the refrigerator after the 18 hr rise in tupperware, of course I cannot find that post now. Can anyone help.
Thanks, Carole
Hi Carole,
Is this the post you are looking for?…
http://www.breadtopia.com/2008/09/16/its-bread-baking-season/#comment-32786
I watched your video and want to try making the nona bread. I noticed you put the bread in some kind of pans with lids. What are they and where can I get them thanks John
Hi John,
You can use a cast iron Dutch oven with lid or any number of clay bakers.
Hi Eric, I made my dough last week, after the 18hr rise, I put it into my tupperware
container and left it for a good week in the refrigerator. When I had time I took it out, let it rise for 2 hours, put it into my Enamel coated cast iron pot (450), I cooked it like normal 30min with cover, about 10 min without. It was great. What a lifesaver. I also made rolls like Ed suggested and they were great also. This method makes it so easy, I can do the 18hr. during the week, and on the weekend have dough available when I want to make it. I have a Enamel covered cast iron pot, its not a le Cruet, but
a similar one from Belgium. I also used the parchment paper on the bottom to stop
it from scorching. I am saving up for the kind of baker you use. Thanks again.
Hi Eric, I made my dough last week, after the 18hr rise, I put it into my tupperware container and left it for a good week in the refrigerator. When I had time I took it out, let it rise for 2 hours, put it into my Enamel coated cast iron pot (450), I cooked it like normal 30min with cover, about 10 min without. It was great. What a lifesaver. I also made rolls like Ed suggested and they were great also. This method makes it so easy, I can do the 18hr. during the week, and on the weekend have dough available when I want to make it. I have a Enamel covered cast iron pot, its not a le Cruet, but
a similar one from Belgium. I also used the parchment paper on the bottom to stop it from scorching. I am saving up for the kind of baker you use. Thanks again.
can I use a cast iron pot that is not glazed??
do I have to line the pot with parchment paper to prevent from sticking?
Hi Jessie,
A glazed pot isn’t necessary nor is parchment paper although you can use it if you like. Eric uses parchment in his video on Almost No Knead Bread. It makes lowering the loaf into the pot a lot easier. Any pot used for no knead baking needs a lid and be sure that any handles or knobs are able to withstand the high heat. Don’t forget to pre-heat the pot & lid.
I finally found durum flour at an asian store. Was so excited finding it , however, they had a whole lot of choices. I settled on GoldenTemple but now that I’m home, I see that it’s 100% whole wheat durum atta flour. On a web site, I see that there is a GoldenTemple red stripe flour that does not say 100% whole wheat. This one says it has no added maida refined white flour. Will this flour be too coarse? I’m going to start my dough tonight using SDstarter. I’m thinking perhaps I should flip the durum flour with the bread flour if, indeed, the flour I should have purchased was the flour with added refined flour added (I think). At any rate, if all this is missing is the white flour then I’m OK, but if the flour is too coarse, then I may be disappointed. Thanks for any input.
Hi Connie,
I think you have the correct flour. I don’t have a bag of the Golden Temple on hand but as I recall, the last time I did it read “100 whole wheat”.
The flour should be light yellow in color and you will see no flecs bran. You will know immediately if the flour is too coarse because the dough will not come together.
My loaf is done. It rose beautifully and the flavor was awesome. I ate the first piece without butter and it really didn’t need the butter. My second piece was a test (haha) for the butter and that rang the bells. I’m still not sure of my flour so next time I’ll use the larger part of durum flour to AP or bread flour. I didn’t have the barley malt syrup so I used a tablespoon of Carnation malted milk. It rose up against the top of my old oval pyrex casserole. The recipe is a keeper; I’m sure I’ll be using this over and over with my own tweekings. Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful recipe.
This note should be before my note above. It explains the ratio I used for my first attempt at Sicilian NK bread.
Thank you for the prompt reply. I used one cup of the durum and 2 of the bread flour. The dough turned out pretty dark,, the flour seemed rather yellow, not light yellow, almost dirty golden. It felt coarse so we’ll see. It did seem to come together well, seemed a little dry but now 2 hours later it looks pretty wet.
My durum flour was not milled fine enough apparently. I found a fairly good desccription of this flour at this site.
http://www.theartisan.net/sicilian_bread.htm
Maybe it will help those of you still looking for the durum flour for this Sicilian bread. The protein content for my flour was 4 gm. Other flours were a little higher, fractionally, than this flour so using the higher quantity of flour was probably a good decision.
Hi Eric,
Thanks for the recipe! It’s great. I’ve been fooling around with making bread for a just a short period. But i’m quite happy with the ones i’ve made and the Sicillian takes the biscuit. I do however have a question. Few days ago i found myself out of durum, i only had about 3/5 of the amount needed. I substituted some farro flour, totally different beast i know but i was curious. In the end the bread turned out ok’ish. It did however take longer to bake as it stayed wet. My question to you is: If i want to use say spelt instead of white flour how do i go about to calculate the amount of water needed. It can’t be all trial and error can it?
ANother question, i looked for some foccacia recipe, am i correct in that i couldn’t find one?
Thanks again for all your effort and great site.
David
Hi , David. This is Big Tuna. I hope Eric doesn’t mind if I try to help out here.
According to Jeffrey Hamelman in his book “Bread A Baker’s Book of Techniques & Recipes” bakers like to refer to ingredients by weight (lb/kg) or in baker’s percentages. To a professional baker the total weight of the flour in any given recipe is always 100%. Lets say that our recipe has a total of 2 lbs of flour(7 1/4 C). That gives us 2 lbs = 100%. The water is then 1lb,6.1oz or 69% of the weight of the flour. In general, I try to keep my hydration at around 2/3
or 66%. Hamelman has recipes that range from 62 – 73% hydration depending on the type of bread. Breads like rye & ciabatta & others have a wetter consistency. Hamelman’s recipe for Semolina (durum) bread has a 62% hydration.
Basically I try to make sure that my dough is tacky not sticky. When it’s tacky you can handle it without it sticking to your hands & it will be able to hold a shape. If it’s sticky it will be all over your hands & flatten out as soon as you let it go.
Adjustments will always be necessary as the weather & humidity play a role in the moisture content of the ingredients. Make adjustments in tablespoon increments; too dry add a spoonful of water at a time; too wet add a spoonful of flour until the dough is the right texture.
Baking good bread is fun & changelling. I hope this helps you.
Keep at it; we’re right behind you.
Hi Big Tuna,
Thanks for your posting. I’ll delve into the hydration some more. I just wondered if for a no knead bread you can use the same hydration %’s I guess you can since you use them
Did you ever come across any ‘yeast-formula’? I’m amazed by how little yeast is used compared to ‘normal’ quicker bread. Some use 20g yeast for 500g. I can can figure out why but just wondered what would happen if you would add like a spoonfull to a no knead bread. I’ll try one day. Thanks again.
Cheerio
David – So little yeast ….. so much time. I’m sure you know that yeast is a living organism that reproduces itself under the “right” conditions, water, food, (flour in this case), proper temperature, and time. So to get lots of leavening power in a short time (2-3 hours) … lots of yeast, long time (16 hours)… little yeast.
Yup like i said i figured that out (not too hard
I just wondered weather you can use a formula for it. I’ll search the net for it.
David,
I did run across a general rule of thumb for yeast on a site some time ago. It basically said to use a 1/2 tsp of yeast per cup of flour. It did not go into proofing times, so I took that to mean using a recipe that has quicker proofing times, not an 18 hour proof. If I can locate the site I’ll post it so everyone can read it.
I also make sourdough bread. I use a 1/4 cup of stiff starter or 1/2 cup of a more liquid starter. But, again we are using a 12 – 16 hour initial proofing.
He Thanx Big Tuna! That’s a start. Didn’t touch the sourdough yet but that is what i’m aiming for……
I just finished watching your video on your SPELT bread. I dont keep sour dough starter in the house. What can I use instead of a starter?? Yeast??
I think instant yeast should work fine. I’m just not sure how much. Maybe try a teaspoon and see how it goes. Mix it into the flour before adding to the water.
I would like to purchase a “kitchen hearth” insert insert for my stove. Do you have any idea where I can obtain such an item. I believe it is made out of the same clay as a Kiln is produced from.
Here is a reliable source: http://www.pleasanthillgrain.com/hearth_kitchen_hearthkit.asp
I just “googled” it.
Lot of money for the same result you get from a cloche or a dutch oven, though.
Bob
I agree with Bob. Unless you can get a deal on Ebay or used somewhere, they’re not worth the money.
If you do want to go that route anyway, consider 2 Fibrament stones (one on lower rack and one on upper rack). Better product, better results, less money.
I just bought 5 kg of white durum flour at my local NoFrills in Toronto for ~$10. It’s in the middle of Little India, so there would be a market for the flour.
But I am pretty sure durum flour is not rare anywhere there’s a South Asian population in Canada, where we are known for our wheat and our welcoming immigration policies.
Makes for good baking.
I’m not sure if this thread is still live, but here goes my two cents’ worth.
One: In Canada I have bought durum flour at the Bulk Barn. I would think bulk stores in the US and online would carry it.
Two: After a couple of batches have gone rancid on me, I now keep semolina flour and semolina for pasta in the fridge or the freezer.
Gina
I’m so glad I found your site and the information on durum bread. 30 years ago I used to buy durum bread in Toronto, but moved and have not been able to find it since. That bread had a wonderful texture, with a yeasty flavor and good keeping properties.
Your video is wonderful, and I’m going to make this bread as soon as I find the durum flour. thanks!!
P.S. Is it possible to buy cake yeast? I haven’t seen it in the grocery store for years.
Hi Diane,
Thanks for the nice comments. As for cake yeast, I can’t find it anymore either. I would imagine some professional bakers still use it so you might try asking at a local bakery. Otherwise, I think most bakers have gone to using just dry yeast.
Diane, if you’re still in Canada, the Bulk Barn stores carry Durum flour.
For those of us who have (and LOVE) our bread machines, can I use the recipes online here in the bread machines?
Most supermarkets no longer carry fresh cake yeast.
It is too perishible and there is little demand for it any more.
Typically a market must order a case of 12 cakes at a wholesale cost of $14.00. Last I remember a cake sold for about $2.00.
This has a shelf life at delivery of about 3 weeks. There is no return option for the market, so unsold product is a loss to the store.
This may or may not seem like much but over time the loss far outweighs any profit to the market.
Just another casualty of our modern lifestyles.
Gentissimo
signor Pellitteri, la famiglia di mio marito è di origine siciliana. Sono curiosa, vorreei sapere se siete lontani parenti. Lei ricorda i nomi dei suoi avi e da dove venivano?
Spero conosca l’italiano saluti Lucia
Ciao Lucia, perdono, non parlo italiano. Ho utilizzato il calcolatore per tradurre. Invii con la posta elettronica prego a e_pillitteri@hotmail.com e lo dirò circa la mia famiglia. Grazie
Hi Eric,
This will take a while, my friend, so get comfortable.
As you may remember, I started baking bread shortly after I found your wonderful Web site last December. Since then, I’ve tried almost all of your online recipes and several other bread recipes from the King Arthur Flour Web site. Today I would like to announce that of all the many loaves of bread I have made (42 at last count), my all-time favorite is Ed Pillitteri’s Sicilian No-Knead Bread recipe.
I’ve made Ed’s recipe 8 or 9 times and always with excellent results. However, each time I made it, my dough was so moist and sticky that it was literally impossible to shape into anything resembling a log. I had to actually “pour” the dough into my proofing basket and then “pour” it again into my oblong La Cloche Baker.
I always watch your video before making this (or any other) recipe just to remind myself of how to do it. I use the exact same ingredients you used in your video and I measure my ingredients with military precision using the very fine scale I purchased from you.
Each time I view the video, I marvel at how YOUR dough – unlike mine – is so easily shaped into a ball or log. Yesterday, I decided to explore this frustrating phenomenon a little deeper by reading all of the comments submitted by your online audience regarding this recipe. My hope was to find comments – and, hopefully, a solution to the problem – from someone who was having the same problem as I.
When I read Officer “Big Tuna’s” posts about the hydration of his dough, I decided to cut back on the water content to see what would happen. Instead of using 1-1/2 cups (12 oz.) of water as called for in the recipe, I
used only 10 oz., and the results were amazing.
After mixing all of the ingredients with my dough whisk, the dough was EXTREMELY dry and VERY difficult to whisk. I was tempted to add some more water but I resisted the temptation. I put the bowl of dough in a plastic bag, as always, and let it sit at room temperature for the suggested 18 hours.
This morning I was pleased to see that the dough had risen nicely and, more importantly, was of a consistency that replicated what your dough looks like in your video.
I did the stretch & fold trick and let the dough rest for 15 minutes. Then came the final test: would I be able to mold my dough into a log? Answer: absolutely! It was a snap. I easily shaped the dough into a perfect log and then put it into my lightly-oiled-parchment-paper-lined proofing basket for its final proofing period.
I reduced the time of this last proofing period to just one hour, popped the dough into my heated La Cloche baking vessel, and the rest (as they say) is history: I ended up with the best loaf of Ed’s Sicilian No-Knead Bread I have ever made. Absolute perfection. I could not be happier.
Thanks, Big Tuna… you’re my kind of cop! And thank YOU, Mr. Pillitteri, for your extraordinary recipe. In my view, it’s the best of the best on Eric’s wonderful Web site.
Allan Castine
Haverhill, MA
Retired
Dear Allan,
Thank you for the kind words. Never be afraid to deviate from the recipe if it’s not working for you. You just might find some thing better. That’s why I love baking bread. It fulfills many of our needs at one time & then you get to eat some truly great bread.
I hope you keep at it. Buona Fortuna.
Big Tuna
p.s. I just retired after 30 years in law enforcement & I could’nt be happier.
Hi Allan,
Your post has me grinning from ear to ear. Your enthusiasm reminds me of my own 25 years ago when I started baking (in self defense) from an outpost in north Texas, far away from any bread that didn’t come in a plastic bag. The Sicilian (aka semolina bread) recipe being your favorite after months of trying all of Breadtopia’s finest is very rewarding for me, thanks for taking the time to say so and to share your experience. I’m my own best customer so hearing from others is sweet affirmation.
I hardily agree with Big Tuna’s comments re experimentation and for that matter, everything else he’s ever posted. That man knows how to bake bread and now that he’s not chasing bad guys anymore we’ll be looking for some new material!! Salute!
Only one thought on your oozing dough experience. Have you been measuring the flour by volume or by weight? I ask because I’ve seen recipes from credible sources that state one cup as being as little as 115 grams and others as high as 140. This recipe needs a total of 420 grams of flour. At any rate, whatever works for you is the way to go. Thanks again.
Ed
Can someone please tell me the procedure when using a Romertopf to bake bread. ie) does it need to soak first & heat up time prior to baking bread in it.
Thanks,
Matthew
Hi Matthew,
No soaking required. I personally put the vessel + lid in a cold oven and once the desired temperature is reached heat it for 30 minutes. My oven takes about 15 minutes to get to 450 so my total time is about 45 minutes.
Ed
Hi Ed,
I was very pleased – no, HONORED is the better word – to read your post regarding my experiences when making your outstanding Sicilian bread recipe.
In response to your query as to how I measure my flour when making bread, please be advised that I always measure my flour by weight, and I use a scale that I purchased from Eric.
Your recipe calls for 420 grams of flour. Because I like working with ounces rather than grams, I converted the recipe’s gram measurement into ounces and, assuming my math is correct, I came up with 14.81 ounces. This is the measure I use when making your recipe.
By the way, I’d like to know if you have a a special, Ed Pillitteri recipe for 100% whole wheat bread, no-knead or otherwise. I ask because I have tried dozens of whole wheat recipes from several different Web sites (Eric’s, King Arthur Flour’s, et al) and I have yet to find one that I like. I also purchased Peter Reinhart’s “The Bread Baker’s Apprentice” looking for a 100% whole wheat recipe that I could truly enjoy but, alas, without success.
The problem may well be that after tasting Ed Pillitteri’s Sicilian bread, no other bread on earth will ever be able to satisfy me.
Allan
Allan
Hi Allen,
Your scale is right on so it looks like your extra moist dough will forever remain a mystery. As we have all agreed, your tweak worked for you so all is well.
Unfortunately, I don’t have a personal 100% whole wheat recipe. Since the master bakers have all tried valiantly and produced only marginal results, I have never been motivated to experiment. I believe that most bakers feel about whole wheat flour the way the French feel about the merlot grape; OK by itself but better when used in a blend.
Ed
Hi Allan,
Your experience with extra wet dough has been on my mind. It is easy to see that you have become more than a casual baker and dismissing your experience with an “I don’t know, just didn’t sit right. The, the other day, an epiphany, “it has to be the flour”. So, I bought some of the Indian style chapatti durum and made a loaf side by side with the durum I usually use. The difference in the two is that the chapatti flour is not ground as fine and also includes bran. Bingo! The chapatti dough was extremely wet and the plain durum perfect. I think Eric uses the chapatti flour but I believe he runs it through his grain mill first to get it finer. Now, if you didn’t use chapatti flour, we’re back to square one. Have fun. Ed
Hi Ed,
Thanks for your post, and thanks also for continuing to try to come up with a solution to my original hydration problem. Please be advised that I have never used chapatti flour when making your Sicilian bread recipe. I always use Durum Wheat Flour that I purchase online from King Arthur Flour.
Now, then, I am very pleased to tell you that I believe I have solved my overly-wet, impossible-to-shape-into-a-log dough problem. Originally, as I’ve said in a previous post, I followed the recipe to the letter and used 12 ounces of water. Then I read Big Tuna’s post and I reduced the water to just 10 ounces. That worked well: the dough was now easy to shape into a log. But I noticed that by using only 10 oz. of water, the texture of the baked bread and its shelf-life both declined a bit.
I then decided to try using 11 ounces of water rather than the 12 oz. and the 10 oz. I had tried before. That did it. The dough was very easy to shape into a log. The texture of the dough was perfect. Its shelf life returned to normal and I, my friend, am now a very happy camper.
It was wonderful hearing from you. Thanks again.
Allan
I reciently purchased “Eagle Mills” all natural all purpose unbleached flour from Costco. I made your bread and it turned out great. Can you tell me what percentage protien is in this flour?
Hi Jessie,
I think you have to call Eagle Mills and ask them. I’ve done that with Heartland Mill and Guisto’s flour and they were happy to me.
Jessie, to get the percentage of grains, look at the serving size in grams and fine the listing of protein grams per serving. Divide the grams of protein by the serving size and this will give you the percentage of protein. It’s a pretty handy formula. You will find that there can be quite a difference in the protein value in different flours (or grains). Hope this helps.
I have 2 questions, here goes, does using IODIZED salt in the bread do anything to the bread?
The second question is, should all breads reach about 210 when finished baking and does the same temperature go for rolls and buns? I like using a therm, that way I know that the inside is baked to perfection. thanks