Pane di Terni (Terni Bread)
This is a sourdough artisan Italian loaf, which tastes different every time, depending on how long you let the unsalted biga (starter) ferment. The recipe, named for Terni, a city in Umbria, is adapted from a used book store find, The Italian Baker ( Harper & Row, 1985) by the late Carol Field - a treasure trove of bread, pastry and cookie recipes from across Italy. The original title and the 2011 revised edition book are available online.
Italian bread seems to have longer rising times, but there's no extra work involved in making this bread.
Note: The amount of yeast shown is the amount prescribed by Carol Field. For convenience, I use larger pieces that I keep in the freezer. The bread turns out well either way.
More bread recipes: Challah, No-Knead Artisan French Bread, No-Knead Artisan Rye or Whole Wheat, No-Knead Irish Brown Bread (with Stout), Crusty Baguettes, Soft Baguettes, New York Style Bagels, Whole Wheat Cinnamon Buns, Classic Sticky Cinnamon Buns, Foccaccia, Classic White Bread, Pillowy Buttermilk Buns, Flax and Honey Bread, Portuguese Cornmeal Bread, Olive Bread, One-Rise Buttermilk Bread, Chocolate Babka, Pumpernickel Bread
Biga - makes 3 1/2 cups
Ingredients for the Biga
1/2 teaspoon granulated yeast or 3-5 grams fresh yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water, room temperature
3 3/4 cups (500 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
Stir the yeast into the warm water and let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in the remaining water and then the flour, 1 cup at a time.
Mix with a wooden spoon for 3 - 4 minutes.
Let sit for 24-72 hours. The longer you let it sit, the more sour the bread will be.
Pane di Terni (Terni Bread)
Note: Two sets of instructions for rising and baking the bread are included below - one set for a whole loaf, one for 4 small loaves.
Ingredients for the Bread
1/2 teaspoon granulated yeast or 2 grams cake yeast
1/3 cup warm water
1 cup water, room temperature
3 1/2 cups (750 grams) biga
4 teaspoons salt
Flour options:
1 1/2 cups (180 grams) whole wheat flour
2 1/4 - 2 1/2 cups (320 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
or
3 3/4 - 4 cups (500 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
Method
Stir the yeast into the 1/3 cup warm water, let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes
Add the 1 cup of room temperature water and the biga. Stir or squeeze the mixture between your fingers to break up the biga. Stir in the flour(s) and the salt, mixing with a spoon and then with your hands until the dough comes together.
Sprinkle a board with flour and knead the dough until firm and elastic, about 8-10 minutes.
Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, 2-3 hours. (To bake 4 loaves, go to alternate instructions below the word "OR")
For a single loaf, punch down and round up in a greased bowl again. Cover loosely and let rise again until doubled, about 2 hours. Note: If you want to bake the bread the next day, then oil and cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator before the dough rises for the second time. Let the dough come to room temperature before baking.
Baking:
Heat a cast iron pot in the oven to 400 degrees for at least 30 - 40 minutes. Dump the dough into the heated pot, cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the top and continue baking for at least 10 - 20 minutes more until the top is golden brown and the bread sounds hollow when tapped.
OR
Divide the dough (if desired) into 4 equal pieces on a floured surface and shape each piece into a round loaf. Place each piece of dough on a sheet of floured parchment paper and place on a baking sheet, rough side up. Cover with a towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
Dimple the loaves with your fingertips or knuckles, then oil the tops lightly and cover. Let rise until the air blisters are sizeable, about 2 hours. Uncover for the last 10-15 minutes of rising to allow the loaves to develop a slight skin.
Thirty minutes before baking, heat the oven with a baking stone inside to 400 degrees. Just before baking, sprinkle the stone with cornmeal. Gently invert each loaf onto the stone and remove the parchment paper. Bake until golden brown, 35-40 minutes. spraying the loaves with water 3 times in the first 10 minutes of baking or by putting a metal pan with boiling water in the oven as they bake.
This is a sourdough artisan Italian loaf, which tastes different every time, depending on how long you let the unsalted biga (starter) ferment. The recipe, named for Terni, a city in Umbria, is adapted from a used book store find, The Italian Baker ( Harper & Row, 1985) by the late Carol Field - a treasure trove of bread, pastry and cookie recipes from across Italy. The original title and the 2011 revised edition book are available online.
Italian bread seems to have longer rising times, but there's no extra work involved in making this bread.
Note: The amount of yeast shown is the amount prescribed by Carol Field. For convenience, I use larger pieces that I keep in the freezer. The bread turns out well either way.
More bread recipes: Challah, No-Knead Artisan French Bread, No-Knead Artisan Rye or Whole Wheat, No-Knead Irish Brown Bread (with Stout), Crusty Baguettes, Soft Baguettes, New York Style Bagels, Whole Wheat Cinnamon Buns, Classic Sticky Cinnamon Buns, Foccaccia, Classic White Bread, Pillowy Buttermilk Buns, Flax and Honey Bread, Portuguese Cornmeal Bread, Olive Bread, One-Rise Buttermilk Bread, Chocolate Babka, Pumpernickel Bread
Biga - makes 3 1/2 cups
Ingredients for the Biga
1/2 teaspoon granulated yeast or 3-5 grams fresh yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water, room temperature
3 3/4 cups (500 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
Stir the yeast into the warm water and let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in the remaining water and then the flour, 1 cup at a time.
Mix with a wooden spoon for 3 - 4 minutes.
Let sit for 24-72 hours. The longer you let it sit, the more sour the bread will be.
Pane di Terni (Terni Bread)
Note: Two sets of instructions for rising and baking the bread are included below - one set for a whole loaf, one for 4 small loaves.
Ingredients for the Bread
1/2 teaspoon granulated yeast or 2 grams cake yeast
1/3 cup warm water
1 cup water, room temperature
3 1/2 cups (750 grams) biga
4 teaspoons salt
Flour options:
1 1/2 cups (180 grams) whole wheat flour
2 1/4 - 2 1/2 cups (320 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
or
3 3/4 - 4 cups (500 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
Method
Stir the yeast into the 1/3 cup warm water, let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes
Add the 1 cup of room temperature water and the biga. Stir or squeeze the mixture between your fingers to break up the biga. Stir in the flour(s) and the salt, mixing with a spoon and then with your hands until the dough comes together.
Sprinkle a board with flour and knead the dough until firm and elastic, about 8-10 minutes.
Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, 2-3 hours. (To bake 4 loaves, go to alternate instructions below the word "OR")
For a single loaf, punch down and round up in a greased bowl again. Cover loosely and let rise again until doubled, about 2 hours. Note: If you want to bake the bread the next day, then oil and cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator before the dough rises for the second time. Let the dough come to room temperature before baking.
Baking:
Heat a cast iron pot in the oven to 400 degrees for at least 30 - 40 minutes. Dump the dough into the heated pot, cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the top and continue baking for at least 10 - 20 minutes more until the top is golden brown and the bread sounds hollow when tapped.
OR
Divide the dough (if desired) into 4 equal pieces on a floured surface and shape each piece into a round loaf. Place each piece of dough on a sheet of floured parchment paper and place on a baking sheet, rough side up. Cover with a towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
Dimple the loaves with your fingertips or knuckles, then oil the tops lightly and cover. Let rise until the air blisters are sizeable, about 2 hours. Uncover for the last 10-15 minutes of rising to allow the loaves to develop a slight skin.
Thirty minutes before baking, heat the oven with a baking stone inside to 400 degrees. Just before baking, sprinkle the stone with cornmeal. Gently invert each loaf onto the stone and remove the parchment paper. Bake until golden brown, 35-40 minutes. spraying the loaves with water 3 times in the first 10 minutes of baking or by putting a metal pan with boiling water in the oven as they bake.