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1
Feed the lievito madre with semola rimacinata at least 4–6 hours before mixing, or overnight, until it is visibly active and domed. A starter that does not dome or show vigorous bubbling will not sustain the long fermentation; discard and re-feed before proceeding.
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2
Combine the semola rimacinata and water in a large bowl. Mix until no dry flour remains, then rest, covered, for 30 minutes. The dough will feel coarser and stiffer than one made with soft wheat flour; this is correct.
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3
Add the active lievito madre and the salt. Work the dough by hand or in a stand mixer until it is smooth, cohesive, and pulls cleanly from the bowl — the semolina's higher protein will produce a firm, slightly tacky mass rather than the slack extensibility of a soft-wheat dough.
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4
This is where the bread lives or dies: cover the dough tightly and ferment at cool room temperature for 12–24 hours. Under-fermentation produces a dense, flavourless crumb; over-fermentation collapses the structure. The dough is ready when it has roughly doubled, smells tangy and wheaty, and a small piece dropped in water floats within 10 seconds.
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5
Turn the dough onto a semolina-dusted surface. Shape into the traditional cornetto (horn), pane alto (high round), or corona (crown) without degassing roughly. The surface should be taut and unbroken. Set on a semolina-dusted cloth or board, cover, and proof at room temperature until the dough springs back slowly when pressed with a floured finger.
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6
Heat a wood-fired oven to high initial heat, then allow the temperature to decline through the bake — the long, falling-heat bake is what builds the defining dark, almost mahogany crust. In the absence of a wood oven, heat a domestic oven with a baking stone or heavy tray to its maximum setting and introduce steam in the first 15 minutes by placing a pan of boiling water on the oven floor.
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7
Slide the loaf onto the hot surface. Bake until the crust is deeply dark — not pale, not mid-brown, but a pronounced mahogany — thick, hard, and resonant when tapped on the underside with a sharp, hollow knock. The crust's darkness and thickness are the bread's preservation barrier; insufficient baking renders the loaf soft-crusted and short-lived.
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8
Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before slicing — the interior crumb, which should be golden-yellow, open, and moist, continues to set as the loaf cools. Slicing a warm loaf compresses the crumb and dissipates the moisture the semolina has retained. Wrap in cloth, never plastic, to preserve the crust.