Pane (bread) is always available in Calabrian households.

In fact, I don’t think Calabrian’s eat any meals without having bread as their side or vehicle to sop up whatever’s on their plate. Bread making is very time-consuming so it’s not something that is practiced very often these days. Especially, when your local bakery does the job for you. However, throughout history, making over 50 pounds of dough at a time was not uncommon. Preparations began very early in the morning and baking the bread lasted throughout the entire day in order to make enough for everyone to enjoy. To then repeat once they were all gone. This was the bread-making ritual throughout Calabria at one time and still practiced in certain rural areas still. Enjoy this bread al fresco with fresh tomatoes and pickled vegetables.

INGREDIENTS

(MAKES 3 LOAVES)

Bread Starter

1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water

Bread Sponge

1/2 cup Bread Starter, room temperature
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup warm water

Dough

3 pounds unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons salt
3 3/4 cups warm water

PREPARATION

Bread Starter

Day one:
Combine 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour and 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast in a medium bowl. Stir with a fork to blend. Add 1/4 cup warm water and blend it as well as you can. Cover the bowl with a linen cloth (anything breathable). Wrap the bowl with blanket or towel and place the bowl in a warm part of your house for 24 hours. The goal is to keep it warm for 24 hours straight.

Day two:
Divide the starter in half and discard one-half. Return the half you are keeping to the bowl and add 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour and 1/4 cup of warm water. Mix and wrap again just like day one.

Day three:
Repeat day two procedure. Once repeated, after 24 hours, you can now use the starter to make your Calabrian Bread (or refrigerate the starter in an airtight container for future use).

Bread Sponge

Put the room temperature starter in a medium bowl and add the flour and water. Stir well. Cover the bowl with a linen cloth. Wrap with towels or blanket to help keep it warm and leave it overnight in a warm part of the house.

Dough

Add flour in a large bowl and make a well in the center, and add the Bread Sponge in the well. In a separate bowl, add and dissolve the salt in the warm water, stir until water becomes clear. Now, add the salted water to the well slowly while mixing the water and the sponge with your hands until blended. Begin incorporating the flour from the sides of the bowl, mixing with your hand until the dough begins to come together and cleans the sides of the bowl. Now, switch to kneading the dough. Like our video shows, use your fists to knead repeatedly and with force - continue until the dough is firm and springy. If the dough is sticky, the flour should help absorb the moisture. At this point, if more comfortable, place dough onto a wooden work surface to continue kneading.

Shape your dough into a large ball and dust it with flour. Place inside a large bowl and lightly dust again with more flour. Drape a linen cloth over the bowl, then wrap it in a towel or blanket and once again set it aside in the warmest part of your house. You want to give your dough about 80º F. Let your dough rest until it doubles in size (about 3 hours).

Shaping the Bread

You can shape your bread however you like but I’ll include the shape we made on the farm called “panetta” which is a round loaf. It’s perfect for dipping or stuffing as a sandwich. You can make about 3 6-inch round panette with this recipe. Use your fingertips to grasp the edges of the piece of dough and draw them toward the center. gently pinch them together, then turn the dough over so the pinched seam is down. Use your palms to finish shaping the dough into a neat round ball with a pointy top.

Second Rise

Transfer your newly shaped breads onto a cloth making sure they do not touch each other since they do need to rise. Lightly dust the tops with flour and cover with another cloth. Cover with a blanket (yes, another one) and let them rise in the warmest spot in the house until doubled (about 2 hours).

Bake the Bread

I recommend baking your bread in separate shifts since you don’t want to potentially harm them after all the work you put in.

Preheat the oven to 475º F. Line two (or more) baking sheets with parchment paper. This recipe should make you about 3 breads. So, feel free to use one baking sheet per bread to play it safe. Transfer your prepared dough to the baking sheets and place in the middle rack of your oven and bake until the bottom is firm and deep gold in color (about 20 minutes). Reduce temperature to 400º F and continue baking until the bread is browned all over and hard on the top and bottom (about 30 minutes). Cool completely before slicing and eating.