Sardinian Flat Bread Food

SARDINIAN FLAT BREAD

Steps:

• Combine the two flours with about a teaspoon of salt.
• In a small cup, dissolve the yeast in about 1/4 cup of the warm water, and let sit until bubbly.
• Add the yeast mixture to the flour with the rest of the water.
• Mix until you have a smooth dough, then cover and let sit 1 hour.
• Knead for 5 minutes and cover for another hour.
• Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.
• Spray two flat baking sheets with oil spray.
• Knead the dough once more and divide into 8 equal balls.
• Roll each ball out as thinly as you can to fit the baking sheets, and bake each for 5 minutes in the preheated oven.
• The breads should blister but not yet brown.
• Remove from the oven and pile one on top of the other.
• Place a board or flat tray on top and let sit until cool.
• To prepare for serving, return each bread to the oven for 10 minutes or until golden and crispy.
• Remove, brush lightly with olive oil, sprinkle with fresh chopped rosemary and salt and return to the oven for a few minutes.
• Let sit until cool enough to handle, then break into large pieces.
• Serve warm.

SICILIAN-STYLE SARDINE PASTA WITH BREAD CRUMBS

Steps:

• To a large skillet preheated over medium heat, add 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 4 turns of the pan, and chopped garlic. When the garlic speaks by sizzling in oil add bread crumbs. Stir bread crumbs until deeply golden in color. Add parsley and a liberal amount of salt and pepper, about 1 teaspoon of each. Transfer bread crumbs to a dish and reserve.
• Return skillet to heat and add 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 3 turns of the pan. Add sardines and red pepper flakes to the pan and saute over medium heat 2 or 3 minutes. Add hot, cooked pasta to the skillet and toss with sardines. Add bread crumbs to the pot and toss thoroughly to combine and evenly distribute the mixture. Taste, to adjust seasonings, and serve.

ITALIAN ESSENTIALS: SARDINIAN PANE CARASAU

Steps:

• 1. PREP/PREPARE
• 2. This recipe will make 8 Pane Carasau, if that is more than you need, just cut the recipe in half.
• 3. You could knead the dough by hand; however, the best way would be with a stand mixer, fitted with a dough hook. In addition, you will need a pizza stone, or a flat baking sheet.
• 4. Gather your ingredients (mise en place).
• 5. Add the sugar to the water, swirl to mix, sprinkle the yeast over the top, then wait about 15 minutes.
• 6. Chef's Note: What we are doing is "proofing" the yeast. After 15 minutes, it should start to look foamy. If it just sits on top of the water and mocks you, your yeast is dead. Give it a proper burial, get some new yeast, and start over.
• 7. Chef's Tip: If you are using instant yeast, you do not have to go through the proofing process, just toss the dry yeast in with the other ingredients and carry on with the recipe.
• 8. While the yeast if proofing, add the all-purpose flour and salt to a stand mixer, fitted with a dough hook, then whisk to combine.
• 9. Add the yeast/sugar water to the mixer and start on low speed.
• 10. Chef's Tip: The actual ratio of liquid to flour is determined by several factors; including the humidity of your kitchen. It is a good idea to have a bit of extra flour and water available, just in case.
• 11. Add a few tablespoons of the bread flour to the mixer and allow them to incorporate before adding more.
• 12. Continue adding flour, a bit at a time, until the dough comes together, and begins climbing the hook.
• 13. At this point remove dough from the bowl of the mixer and knead a few times on a lightly floured surface.
• 14. Add the oil to a bowl, toss in the dough, coat with the oil, and then cover with a tea towel, then place in a non-drafty corner of the kitchen until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• 15. Chef's Tip: Rise time is determined by the ambient temperature of the surrounding air. The warmer the air, the faster the process.
• 16. Remove the tea towel, punch down the dough, then cover and allow to rise a second time, until doubled in size, about another hour.
• 17. Place a pizza stone, or baking sheet on a rack in the lower position, and preheat the oven to 500f (260c)
• 18. Remove the dough from the bowl, onto a lightly floured surface, and knead for a minute or two.
• 19. Divide into eight equal portions, then take one of the portions, roll into a ball, and lightly press down to flatten it out.
• 20. Use a rolling pin, to flatten it out into a thin disk. Use as much flour as you need to keep it from sticking.
• 21. Chef's Note: Do not try to make the flatbreads "perfectly" round. This is flatbread... it is rustic... have fun.
• 22. To move it, an easy way is to drape it over your rolling pin.
• 23. Chef's Note: I am using a French tapered rolling pin; however, any old rolling pin will do the job.
• 24. This is the tricky part... Getting that thin disk of dough into the oven without burning yourself or tearing the dough. I am using a pizza peel, dusted with a bit of flour. You might use another flat baking sheet, or possibly a really big spatula.
• 25. Add the flatbread to the oven and set a timer for 3 minutes.
• 26. After 3 minutes flip the dough and let it bake another 3 minutes.
• 27. Chef's Note: The dough should have bubbles, and a few brown spots.
• 28. Remove from the oven and repeat the process for the remaining dough balls. 1. Flatten out with a rolling pin. 2. Add to oven for 3 minutes. 3. Flip and bake an additional 3 minutes.
• 29. These flatbreads will store for 5 - 7 days wrapped up in the fridge, or for several months in the freezer.
• 30. When ready to use, brush both sides with a bit of olive oil, and pop them into a 500f (260c) oven for just a quick minute or two.
• 31. PLATE/PRESENT
• 32. Flatbreads can be used in so many ways. My personal favorite is for making Sardinian Pizza; however, other ways include: • Pizza (of course) • Cheese & spinach • Chicken or beef shawarma • Gyros • Cut up and serve with a good dip, like hummus • Serve with some fruit on top And the list goes on and on. Enjoy.
• 33. Keep the faith, and keep cooking.

SARDINIAN PARCHMENT BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F at least 40 minutes before baking.
• In a large bowl combine flours and salt and mix ingrediants thoroughly.
• Slowly add water, stirring with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a soft dough (you many not need to add all the water.) With your hands, work the dough into a ball.
• Place on a clean, floured work surface and knead for about one minute.
• The dough should be firm and pliable, not sticky.
• Divide the dough evenly into 12 balls.
• Place the balls on a lightly floured surface.
• Flatten each ball into a thick 4-inch pancake.
• Generously flour the work surface and with with a heavy-duty rolling pin roll each portion of the dough as thin as possible into an 8" to 9" round.
• These breads are meant to be roughly shaped.
• Thinness is more important than the shape.
• The dough should be thin enough to see your hand through it.
• Place several rounds of dough on an ungreased baking sheet and place in the oven or place on a baking stone with a baker's peel.
• Bake until the top of the bread is firm and lightly browned, about 3 to 4 minutes.
• Baking time will vary and will also depend on the number of breads placed in the oven.
• With tongs or your fingers, turn the bread over and bake until the other side is slighly browned, 3 to 4 minutes more.
• (The bread should be rather bumpy, puffy, and irregular, with occaisional pockets full of air.) Transfer the bread to a wire rack to cool.
• Repeat wtih the remaining rounds of dough.
• The bread cools quickly and can be served immediately.

CARTA DA MUSICA

Steps:

• Prepare the Sponge:
• Mix the cup of flour with the semolina flour and place in a small bowl. Make a well in the flour. Add the salt to the water, then add the yeast. When the yeast is dissolved, pour it into the well. Incorporate the 1 1/4 cup flour by mixing with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of flour over the sponge. Let the sponge rest, covered, overnight in a warm place away from drafts.
• Next morning, if you do not have a brick oven, line the lower shelf of the oven with unglazed terra-cotta tiles or, as second choice, use a pizza stone. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Be sure to preheat the oven at least 1 hour before using it because the tiles themselves must reach that temperature.
• Prepare the Dough:
• Mix the 2 cups of flour with the 1/2 cup of semolina flour and make a large well in the flour. Place the sponge in the well along with the water. Carefully mix the sponge with the water, using a wooden spoon, then start incorporating the flour from the edges of the well. Gather the dough with your hands, form a ball and place the ball on a board or other work surface. Start kneading, incorporating more flour. Knead with a folding motion. At this point you will need some of the 1/2 cup of reserved flour. When the dough becomes very elastic, after about 5 minutes of kneading, lightly flour it, place it in a bowl and let it rest until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• The classic size of the carta da musica is a disc of about 18 inches in diameter. Bearing in mind the size of your oven and even your own experience in handling large sheets of thin dough, divide the risen dough into pieces of comfortable size, remembering that the dough is to be stretched to the thickness of about 1/8 inch. Once the dough is divided into pieces, knead each piece with a little flour. Roll each piece very evenly to a uniform thickness, with no holes at all and no creases; otherwise the dough will not puff up completely in the oven.
• As 2 or 3 pieces of dough are rolled out, start baking them one at a time. Place a disc on a baker's peel, transfer it onto the tile, close oven and bake for 1 minute. Open the oven, gently turn the puffed-up dough over and bake for 30 seconds more.
• Remove bread from oven, transfer onto a board and immediately insert a sharp knife between the two puffed-up, separated layers of half-cooked carta da musica. Placing one hand over the puffed-up dough, use the other hand to cut all around to detach the edges of the layers from each other.
• It is best if a second person can do this cutting because the first will be completely occupied in rolling out dough and baking the remaining dough.
• Stack the separated halves on a towel, being absolutely sure that all are placed with the inner side down, so that no 2 inside parts will touch. Place a light weight over the stack of prebaked carta da musica halves to prevent them from curling up.
• When all the pieces of dough have been baked, placed under the weight and cooled, take the pieces and return them, one at a time, to the oven to bake for about 10 seconds on each side or until very crisp. Carta da musica should be very dry and extremely crisp. Continue until all the pieces of the bread are rebaked and crisp. Once all the layers are cold, you may wrap them in brown paper and use them for as long as several months if the humidity is not high.