* Exported from MasterCook *
Sardinian Parchment Bread - Carasau
Recipe By :
Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : LowCal (Less than 300 cals) LowerCarbs
LowFat (Less than 5%) No Yeast
Unleavened
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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1 cup coarse semolina -- NOT semolina flour, plus extra for dusting
1 cup unbleached white flour -- plus extra for dusting
3/4 cup warm water
3/4 teaspoon salt
Place quarry tiles on the bottom rack of your oven, leaving a 1-inch gap between the tiles and the oven walls, and preheat oven to 400F.
In a large bowl, mix together the semolina, flour, and salt. Form the dough into a ball and transfer to a well-floured work surface. (We like to use a mixture of semolina and unbleached white flour to dust the work surface.) DO NOT KNEAD THE DOUGH.
Cut the dough in half, then cut each piece in half and then again to make 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece in the flour and/or semolina, then flatten with the floured palm of your hand. Roll out one piece at a time, keeping the remaining pieces covered with a cloth.
Roll out one piece of dough as thin as possible on the lightly floured surface, rolling from the center out and rotating the bread slightly between each stroke of your rolling pin. If the bottom starts to stick, flour the surface a little more and turn the bread over; you can also try flouring your rolling pin. You should aim for a bread less than 1/16 inch thick, making a roughly circular bread 9 to 10-inches across. Don't worry that the circle is not perfect. Parchment breads are meant to be thin and handmade-looking, like old parchment.
After you finish rolling out the bread, transfer to a floured peel or the floured underside of a baking sheet, then slide gently onto the quarry tiles. Take your time when transferring the bread; if one side flips under, you can either lift it out and try again, using a large spatula, or let it bake on the first side and then try unfolding it. These breads are very forgiving and easy to work with, so after the first two or three you should feel very comfortable with them. Bake for 2 minutes, turn the bread over, and bake for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes longer. The bread should have golden spots and be crisp. Place it on a rack (or a window ledge) to dry out further.
Proceed to roll out and bake remaining breads in the same fashion, starting to roll out the next bread as soon as you place one in the oven.
Eat carasau warm or keep them for several weeks, stored in a dry place, and snack them as you would on crackers. To reheat, place in 350F to 375F oven for several minutes. If you like, brush them lightly with olive oil, or olive oil and rosemary leaves, before you reheat them.
Makes 8 thin, crisp round breads, about 9 to 10-inches in diameter.
AuthorNote: This shepherd's bread from Sardinia is a great introduction to unyeasted flatbreads. Developed as an ideal portable food - light to carry and easy to store, a snack on its own and a meal when crumbled into soup - carasau is crisp and light, yet full of the taste of the grain. It takes about ten minutes to make (about as long as your oven needs to preheat) and only a few minutes baking time.
The essential ingredient in carasau is semolina, the coarsely ground heart of durum wheat; fine semolina flour should not be substituted. Semolina is granular, like coarse sugar, and the color of pale straw; it gives the breads a lovely crunch bite, as well as a beautiful color.
Cuisine:
"Italian"
Source:
"Flatbreads & Flavors: A Baker's Atlas by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid, William Morrow, 1995"
S(Formatted by Chupa Babi):
"Oct 2011"
Yield:
"8 9 to 10-inch rounds"
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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 125 Calories; trace Fat (1.6% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 26g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 201mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch).
Nutr. Assoc. : 1354 0 0 0
