5 Ingredients or Fewer

Pane Carasau

December 15, 2010
4.5
4 Ratings
  • Makes 6
Author Notes

This is Sardinian flatbread or as it is translated "sheet music" bread. It is really a lot like a cracker although I know it looks much like a tortilla. It is stiff and crackly and in the hands of the Sardinians it is multipurpose. It is simple to make and my version requires no yeast. The most difficult part of the process is rolling it out but after one or two you'll get the hang of it. BTW they are usually baked twice. Meaning this is the first time and when you are ready to eat them you bake them again usually brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with rosemary. —thirschfeld

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups semolina flour, fine grind
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 1/2 cups warm water
Directions
  1. Combine all the ingredients in the bowl of mixer and mix until it comes together and becomes elastic.
  2. Remove the dough from the bowl and kneed it a few times. Set it on the counter and cover it with the mixing bowl and let it rest for 20 minutes.
  3. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Place a rack in the middle of the oven and place a baking stone on the rack. If you don't have a stone you can use several parchment lined sheet tray. After the dough has rested divide the dough into 7 pieces and roll them under the palm of your hand until the becomes smooth balls of dough.
  4. Sprinkle the counter lightly with flour and then dip one of the balls of dough into the flour and shake off the excess.
  5. Using the palm of you hand flatten the dough out and then start rolling it out. Turn it 180 degrees between each roll so it becomes a long oval. Roll it as thin as you can. Using a fork dock the dough.
  6. Gently lift the dough and place it onto the stone and bake it for 5 minutes flipping it after 2 1/2 minutes. While it is baking roll out the next flatbread. Remove from the oven and continue baking the remaining 5 flatbreads.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Wanona Wellspring Dn
    Wanona Wellspring Dn
  • thirschfeld
    thirschfeld
  • hardlikearmour
    hardlikearmour
  • Sagegreen
    Sagegreen
  • mrslarkin
    mrslarkin

13 Reviews

Wanona W. April 9, 2023
Actually the bread is cooked once until it billows up. Then split into two halves. Then baked again until it is crispy like a cracker. Then it will last a year!
 
A fantastic yet simple recipe. I have written an article on Pane Carasau and have linked your website for a recipe.

Thanks

www.typesofitalianbread.com
 
thirschfeld December 17, 2010
If anyone is interest her is a video from Sardinia and how they make this bread. I wish I had a wood fired oven... http://www.sardegnadigitallibrary.it/index.php?xsl=626&id=190962
 
thirschfeld December 17, 2010
makes me think I need to rethink my recipe. The first bread I cooked puffed up like the bread in the video but it did not fall upon removal from the oven. I docked to dough so it would stay flat and it did but I couldn't separate it into thinner layers.
 
hardlikearmour December 16, 2010
Could you do the second "baking" on the grill instead?
 
thirschfeld December 16, 2010
I have never tried it. I am sure you could I just don't know if you would get lots of grill marks. Let me know how it goes if you do.
 
hardlikearmour December 16, 2010
I'll give it a try tonight. I'm making butter chicken, and think this would be a good compliment. I'll report back later.
 
hardlikearmour December 17, 2010
So over all the grill worked well. Burned the 1st 2 I put on it, too much multitasking is always bad. The rest cooked up nicely, and were spotted with char marks, kinda like naan from the tandoor oven. Got nice and crisp.
 
Sagegreen December 16, 2010
Love those bubbles. This is one I will enjoy trying, too! Rosemary and olive oil finishes, as well. So glad I brought in my rosemary plant for the winter.
 
thirschfeld December 16, 2010
thanks Sagegreen, I hope you try it and enjoy it as much as we do.
 
thirschfeld December 15, 2010
I am guessing anything is good with the potted pig, if it is the same potted pig recipe I saw here on f52
 
mrslarkin December 15, 2010
yup, that's the one.
 
mrslarkin December 15, 2010
Oh, I love crunchy. Nice, thirschfeld. This would go really nice with the Potted Pig I just had for dinner.