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1
Combine the semola di grano duro and cold water. Work to a firm, lean dough — no fat, no egg is added at any point. Knead until the dough is smooth and holds its shape without sticking. It should feel dense and dry to the hand, not soft.
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2
Divide the dough and roll each portion to an absolute maximum of 1 mm. Hold the sheet to the light: it should be nearly translucent. Any sheet thicker than 1 mm will not split cleanly after the first bake.
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3
Slide the sheets into an oven at 300 °C and bake for 3–4 minutes. The bread will puff into a distinct pillow as steam is trapped between its two faces. The sheet is ready when it has lifted fully and evenly across its surface.
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4
This is where the dish lives or dies. Remove each sheet from the oven and split it immediately — by hand, along the natural steam pocket — into two thin leaves. The split must be made within 30 seconds; the steam pocket collapses as the bread cools and cannot be recovered. Work one sheet at a time.
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5
Return the split leaves to the 300 °C oven for a further 2 minutes. They are done when shatteringly crisp but not coloured further beyond pale gold. Do not allow browning; over-baked sheets become bitter.
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6
Drizzle the hot sheets at once with raw extra-virgin olive oil, then grate bottarga di muggine generously over the surface. The heat of the bread releases the bottarga's umami oils into the fat. Serve immediately — the oil will soften the crispness within minutes.