Sardinian Flat Bread


Pane Carasau
 ~ An Italian flat bread with a crisp, cracker-like texture that is seasoned with aromatic rosemary and coarse sea salt. I have also heard it nicknamed “piano paper” or carta di musica which describes it’s thinness. It is said to have been first made by the shepherds in Sardinia who took it with them into the pastures as it keeps so well.

You might need a little more water or a little less depending on the blends of flours used. The trick to this “bread” is to roll it out as thinly as you can. It does not matter if it is a perfect circle or if it wrinkles a bit as you roll it as it’s imperfections are part of it’s charm. Once you break it into large pieces no one will notice it’s original shape anyways!

Buon Appetito!
Deborah Mele 

Sardinian Flat Bread

Sardinian Flat Bread

Yield: Makes 8
Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes

Seasoned with salt and rosemary, this crisp flatbread from Sardinia is a great snack.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 Cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 1/2 Cups Semolina Flour
  • 1 Envelope Active Dry Yeast
  • 1 1/2 Cups Warm Water (Approximate)
  • Salt

To Serve:

  • Fresh Chopped Rosemary
  • Coarse Sea Salt
  • Olive Oil

Instructions

  1. Combine the two flours with about a teaspoon of salt.
  2. In a small cup, dissolve the yeast in about 1/4 cup of the warm water, and let sit until bubbly.
  3. Add the yeast mixture to the flour with the rest of the water.
  4. Mix until you have a smooth dough, then cover and let sit 1 hour.
  5. Knead for 5 minutes and cover for another hour.
  6. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.
  7. Spray two flat baking sheets with oil spray.
  8. Knead the dough once more and divide into 8 equal balls.
  9. Roll each ball out as thinly as you can to fit the baking sheets, and bake each for 5 minutes in the preheated oven.
  10. The breads should blister but not yet brown.
  11. Remove from the oven and pile one on top of the other.
  12. Place a board or flat tray on top and let sit until cool.
  13. To prepare for serving, return each bread to the oven for 10 minutes or until golden and crispy.
  14. Remove, brush lightly with olive oil, sprinkle with fresh chopped rosemary and salt and return to the oven for a few minutes.
  15. Let sit until cool enough to handle, then break into large pieces.
  16. Serve warm.

Did you make this recipe?

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14 Comments

  1. Hi, I tried this dish with an eggplant based dip in Cagliari, Sardinia. Do you have the recipe for the eggplant dip? I don’t remember the name of the dip. I can just recollect ‘melanzane’

    Looking forward to your response,

    Thanks 🙂

  2. The ingredients are the same as Dan Buettner’s recipe in his new Blue Zones cookbook. The directions are a bit more detailed on this one and I think it will work better having made this bread one time. Still waiting on second rise but I bet it will be better. As far as glycemic index, this bread is a staple in Sardinia where longevity is commonplace. Of course, 5hst is in addition to other lifestyle and food choices yet I am looking forward to making this more.

  3. Has anyone tried to freeze the dough for later use or tried to freeze the cooked version?

    Thanks in advance!

  4. I have the same question as Gael. I would like to know if you can freeze the dough before the first bake. We have frozen the dough after the first bake. But only for a few days to a week. It makes the best thin crust pizza. I would like to try and freeze the dough before having to roll it out and do the first bake. Or do we do a trial and error thing if no one has done this before?
    Thank you,

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