Bread Maker Recipe – Semolina Sourdough Bread

Yes, Virginia. You can make sourdough bread in a breadmaker, or at least start it in the breadmaker. This open textured sourdough bread comes from the Puglia region of southern Italy, and is commonly known as Pugliese. It readily absorbs oil and is a perfect bread for making Bruschetta. The semolina flour gives it a lovely golden color and a crispy crust. This recipe yields two small loaves.

Ingredients
1/4 cup water
1 cup sourdough starter
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unbleached flour
1 1/2 cup semolina flour (often sold as pasta flour), plus extra for dusting
1 teaspoon vital wheat gluten
1/4 teaspoon dough conditioner
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoon dry yeast

Directions
Add the ingredients to the loaf pan of your bread machine in the order listed by the manufacturer. I've listed them in the order they work best for my machine.

Set the machine to run on a dough cycle. When the cycle is complete, remove from loaf pan and place in a large bowl, lightly oiled with olive oil. Turn the bread to coat. Cover with a dish towel and put in a warm place in the kitchen to rest for ten minutes.

Oil a baking sheet and dust with semolina flour. Divide the dough into two pieces. Shape each piece into a round loaf and place on the baking sheet, with plenty of room between each loaf. Flatten the dough with the palm of your hand and sprinkle with semolina flour. Cover with a dish towel and let them rise until both loaves have doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake until lightly golden, about 30 minutes. They should sound hollow when tapped underneath. Cool completely on a wire rack.

My family loves Semolina bread, broken apart and dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, as part of a great Italian dinner.