Homemade bread with sun-dried tomatoes and pistachios, fragrant and flavorful, designed to be enjoyed on its own or paired with cheeses, cured meats, or simply with a good extra virgin olive oil drizzled raw. With a crunchy crust and an elastic, well-aerated crumb, supported by a complex aromatic profile given by indirect fermentation. The use of the biga, in fact, allows you to build strength, structure and aromatic depth already before the final dough. If you don’t prefer sun-dried tomatoes or pistachios, you can replace them with black olives, walnuts or a mix of seeds. The bread keeps for 2-3 days at room temperature, maintaining its texture. Once completely cooled, it can be frozen whole or sliced (up to 2 months) and then refreshed in the oven at 356°F for a few minutes. Below, let’s see together what is needed to prepare our sun-dried tomato and pistachio bread at home:
Other recipes for homemade bread :
- Difficulty: Medium
- Preparation time: 1 Day
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 2 cups type 0 flour
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tsp fresh baker's yeast
- 2 cups type 2 flour
- 1 cup water
- 1 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp malt
- 3 oz sun-dried tomatoes (chopped)
- 1/2 cup unsalted pistachios
Steps
Prepare the biga by pouring the flour into a bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water at 64–68°F and add the liquid to the flour, mixing coarsely without kneading the dough. Cover and allow to mature at a controlled temperature for 16–18 hours.
Chop the sun-dried tomatoes, coarsely chop the pistachios and set aside. Once the biga is ready, tear it into pieces into the mixing bowl, add the flour indicated for the final dough, the malt and gradually pour in about 80% of the water, starting to knead until the biga is fully incorporated.
Continue adding the remaining water little by little and add the salt only when the dough is already formed. Continue kneading until you obtain a smooth, elastic, well-developed dough.
Add the sun-dried tomatoes and pistachios and proceed by hand with gentle folds until they are evenly distributed. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured bowl, cover and let rest for about 2-3 hours, performing a strengthening fold after about 30 minutes.
Then turn the dough out onto the work surface, make a light pre-shape and let it relax for 15 minutes. Afterwards shape into a loaf and place it in a lightly floured proofing basket, cover and let rise for 8 hours in the refrigerator.
Preheat the conventional oven to 464°F with a baking tray on the bottom, score the surface of the bread with a sharp blade and bake creating steam with hot water. Bake for 15–20 minutes, then continue for 25 minutes at 392°F and finish the last 5 minutes with the door slightly open, until the internal temperature reaches 205–208°F.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely. The sun-dried tomato and pistachio bread is ready to be enjoyed!
Bon appétit and.. see you in the next recipe!
