There’s something magical about kneading bread with your own hands, especially when sourdough comes into play. Today I’m bringing you the recipe for my bread loaves, fragrant, rustic, and perfect for accompanying any meal or just enjoying with a drizzle of good olive oil. Making them at home is not difficult: all you need is patience, a love for baking, and a few genuine ingredients. I used my Homemade Sourdough, but you can replace it with fresh yeast.

Difficulty: Very Easy
Cost: Cheap
Rest time: 3 Hours
Preparation time: 30 Minutes
Portions: 4 People
Cooking methods: Oven
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: All seasons

Ingredients

4 cups re-milled durum wheat semolina
1.5 cups water
3.5 oz liquid sourdough (or 0.35 oz fresh yeast)
2 teaspoons salt (scant)
1 teaspoon malt (or honey)

Tools

Bimby
Bowl
Parchment paper
Baking tray
Scraper

Steps

Dissolve the sourdough in water (1.3 cups). 20 seconds at speed 2.
Add the semolina and knead for 2 minutes at kneading speed. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes in the bowl.
Add the salt, the remaining water (0.2 cups) and knead for another 5 minutes at kneading speed.
Transfer the dough onto the work surface, spread it a bit and do a round of folds.
Transfer the dough into a greased, preferably rectangular container, and let it rise until it doubles.
When the dough has doubled, sprinkle the work surface with re-milled semolina and overturn the risen dough. Add a bit more semolina on the dough.
With the help of a scraper, divide the dough into strips not too thin.
Twist each piece of dough, forming the loaves.
Transfer them onto the baking tray lined with parchment paper, let them rest for about an hour, and then bake at 392°F for about 30 minutes.
These loaves are a comforting bread: they keep well for a couple of days, and if there’s any left over… slice them and toast them! Also, try personalizing the dough with seeds, olives, or a mix of flours. Let me know how you prepare them!