Pane Tipo di Altamura - March 31, 2016

Pane Tipo di Altamura

31 March, 2016

David Snyder

Back in 2011, several TFL bakers worked on trying to replicate Pane di Altamura at home. I participate with one bake (see: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/24139/pane-tipo-di-altamura-quotlocal-breadsquot), but did not work to refine it and have not baked this bread since. Abe's (A BakEr on TFL) recent efforts have inspired me to give this bread another go.

Since my prior attempt, I have had a little experience baking in a wood-fired oven, which is how Pane di Altamura is baked. I realize how different that oven is from my home electric oven. I have further amended Abe's amendment of the Italian DOP specification based on this experience. Most significantly, almost all instructions for baking this bread omit steaming the oven. My thinking is that, in a wood-fired oven, generally there are multiple loaves baking at once, and the water that evaporates from them, in effect, steams the oven without the addition of any water by the baker. This effect is much less with a single loaf in an electric oven. Therefore, I did steam my oven for the first part of the bake. That said, the formula and procedures I used are largely based on the information Abe kindly shared with us.

I already had a biga naturale from a previous bake in my refrigerator. So, the biga used in the Final Dough was fed three times with about 12 hours' fermentation of each build.

1. Place the starter in a medium bowl.

2. Add the water and mix until the starter is in pea-size pieces.

3. Add the flour and mix until there is no dry flour and the biga feels like a bread dough.

4. Place the biga in a clean bowl and cover tightly.

5. Ferment for about 12 hours at 70-76ºF.

6. Repeat twice more.

 Procedures

1. Mix the flour and water well in a large bowl. (There should be no dry flour in the bowl.)

2. Cover the bowl tightly and let it rest at room temperature for an hour.

3. Add the salt and the biga to the bowl. Mix thoroughly using the French “pinch and fold” method.

4. Knead in the bowl or on an un-floured board for about 10 minutes.

5. Cover the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes.

6. Knead for another 10 minutes.

7. Transfer the dough to a clean bowl. Cover the bowl tightly.

8. Ferment for 6 hours at 76ºF. (I used a Brød and Taylor Proofing Box set to 76ºF.) The dough should be expanded to double its original volume and feel soft and puffy.

9. Transfer the dough to a board lightly dusted with durum flour and pre-shape as a boule.

10. Pre-heat the oven to 500ºF with a baking stone and steaming apparatus in place.

11. Place the boule on baker's linen and cover well. Let it rest for 30 minutes.

12. Transfer the dough to the board and pre-shape as a bâtard, taking care to de-gas the dough as little as possible. (Note: Pane di Altamura is traditionally shaped as a boule. I elected to shape it as a long loaf. If shaped as a boule, the bake time should be increased, since the loaf would be thicker.)

13. Place the bâtard on the baker's linen and cover well. Let it rest for another 30 minutes.

14. Transfer the bâtard to the board. Gently stretch it by grasping the two long sides and pulling it into a flat oval.

15. Using the sides of your two hands, make a wide groove down the long axis of the loaf. Then fold the loaf at the groove so that the upper half over-laps the lower half 3/4 of the way. Gently seal the seam between the upper and lower layers.

16. Transfer the loaf to a peel.

17. Turn the oven down to 450ºF, steam the oven and transfer the loaf to the baking stone.

18. Bake with steam for 15 minutes.

19. Remove the steam source from the oven. Turn the oven temperature down to 420ºF (or 400ºF convection bake).

20. Bake for another 15-18 minutes. The loaf should be nicely browned. It should sound hollow when the bottom is thumped with a knuckle. The internal temperature should be at least 205ºF.

21. Transfer the loaf to a cooling rack and cool thoroughly before slicing.

Tasting Notes

When fully cooled and first sliced, the crust is thin and chewy. The crumb is amazingly open for such a low-hydration bread, and a most attractive yellow color. The slices show that the multiple shaping steps did not over-de-gas the dough. The profile shape is pleasing. On tasting, the crumb is mildly chewy. There is a slight yeasty aroma. The flavor is balanced and mild with some nutty, some sweet and very little if any sour tang. When eaten toasted the next morning, the crust becomes pleasingly crisp. The crumb is a bit more tender. The flavor is similar to that of a couple hours after baking.

When tasted dipped in a local, low-acid, fruity EVOO, this bread is transformed into something ambrosial. Of course, Puglia is famous for both Pane di Altamura and for its ancient olive groves, so it is no surprise. The neutral flavor of the bread allows the full, complex flavor of the oil to come through, and the oil brings out the sourdough tang that was otherwise faintly present in the bread. Delicious!  

Photo Gallery

Fully fermented dough, on the board prior to first pre-shaping (Step 9) 

Pre-shaped dough, wrapped in baker's linen for a rest

After first pre-shaping and a 30 minute rest wrapped in linen

Dough after second pre-shaping as a bâtard (Step 12)

A helpful illustration of shaping I found on the agradolce.it web site (Pane di Altamura | Agrodolce)

My loaf, after final shaping. On a peel, ready to bake. (Step 15)

Pane Tipo di Altamura

A slice

Crumb, close-up

Final Notes

This bread is fun to make. The dough is easy to mix and enjoyable to handle. Shaping is a challenge. I am pleased with the result. The baked loaf is attractive.

 I do not find the bread provides outstanding eating by itself or with butter, however, dipped in olive oil as is traditional, it is transformed into a wonderful food. It is not merely a vehicle. The olive oil and the bread each compliment the other. (See "Tasting Notes," above.) I still need to taste this bread grilled then rubbed with garlic, another traditional way of eating it.

The obvious necessity is a trip to Altamura to calibrate my expectations.

 David