🇮🇹 Italian · Bread
🍞 Pane Pugliese
Pane di Altamura
Pane Pugliese is a golden, durum-wheat bread from Puglia with a thick, crackling crust and a dense yet airy crumb, prized for staying fresh far longer than ordinary bread.
Made with semolina rimacinata (finely milled durum wheat), this bread — the most famous version of which, Pane di Altamura, holds Protected Designation of Origin status — gets its deep golden color and slightly sweet, nutty flavor from the durum flour, and its long shelf life from a natural sourdough starter.
Ingredients
Equipment: Large mixing bowl, Banneton or floured towel, Baking stone, Sharp blade for scoring
- 400 g (2⅔ cups) fine semolina flour (semolina rimacinata)
- 100 g (¾ cup) bread flour
- 150 g (⅔ cup) active sourdough starter
- 320 ml (1⅓ cups) warm water
- 10 g (2 tsp) fine sea salt
Method
- Combine the semolina, bread flour, starter, and water in a large bowl and mix to a shaggy dough. Let rest 20 minutes (autolyse).
- Add the salt and knead for 10–12 minutes until smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky.
- Cover and bulk ferment for 4–5 hours at room temperature, folding the dough over itself every hour for the first 3 hours.
- Shape into a round or the traditional 'cornetto' crescent shape, place in a floured banneton, and proof for 2–3 hours until puffy.
- Preheat the oven to 240°C (465°F) with a baking stone inside.
- Turn the loaf out, score the top, and bake for 15 minutes at high heat, then reduce to 220°C (425°F) and bake a further 30–35 minutes until deeply golden and hollow-sounding.
- Cool completely on a rack — at least 2 hours — before slicing.
Chef Tips
- Real semolina rimacinata (fine durum flour, not coarse semolina) is what gives this bread its signature golden crumb — don't substitute regular flour if you can help it.
- The long, slow fermentation is what gives Pane Pugliese its exceptionally long shelf life.
- Traditionally baked in a wood-fired oven — a very hot, well-preheated stone gets you closest at home.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using coarse semolina instead of finely milled semolina rimacinata — the texture will be gritty rather than tender.
- Rushing the fermentation — the flavor and keeping quality both depend on a long, slow rise.
- Cutting into the loaf before it has fully cooled.
Nutrition (per serving)
Health Benefits
- Durum wheat semolina has a lower glycemic index than many refined flours.
- Natural sourdough fermentation improves mineral absorption and digestibility.
Cultural Note
Pane di Altamura was the first bread in Europe to receive Protected Designation of Origin (DOP) status in 2003, a recognition of its centuries-old, tightly regulated production method unique to the town of Altamura.
Storage & Serving
Storage: Keeps at room temperature wrapped in cloth for up to a week — genuinely one of the longest-keeping Italian breads.
Reheating: Refresh in a hot oven for 5–8 minutes to restore crust crispness.
Serve with: Extra virgin olive oil, Burrata, Orecchiette dishes, Puglian olives