Pane Carasau · Pane Carasau (Carta da Musica)
Sardinia · bread · serves 12 · 240 min total · hard
Shepherds carried carasau to the high pastures for weeks at a time — once double-baked it keeps almost indefinitely. The nickname carta da musica (sheet music) describes both the look and the crackle. Splitting one hot disc into two paper sheets is the trick that takes a lifetime to learn.
Ingredients
- 500 g semola di grano duro rimacinata
- 280 ml warm water
- 5 g fresh yeast
- 10 g fine sea salt
Method
- Mix yeast, semola, water and salt; knead 15 minutes to a very firm dough.
- First rise 2 hours covered, until doubled.
- Divide into 80 g balls. Rest 20 minutes.
- Roll each ball as thin as possible — 1 mm, the size of a dinner plate. Stack with semolina between sheets.
- Heat oven to its maximum (270–300°C / 520–570°F) with a baking stone, or fire up a wood oven.
- First bake: slide one disc onto the stone. Within 30–60 seconds it should puff dramatically into a pillow.
- Pull out at once, split horizontally with scissors while hot — you now have two paper-thin sheets.
- Second bake (carasatura): return both sheets to the oven for 60 seconds each until crisp, blistered and golden.
- Stack and store airtight. Eat as is, or moisten with broth or water for pane frattau.