Puccia con Olive Nere e Acciughe Salentina

Ingredients

• 500 g semolina rimacinata, fine-ground durum semolina only — no wheat flour
• 320 ml water, lukewarm
• 10 g fine sea salt
• 7 g dried yeast, or equivalent fresh
• 150 g Cellina di Nardò black olives, pitted, roughly chopped — not sliced; Ogliarola acceptable
• 60 g salted anchovy fillets, small, whole — drained if oil-packed
• 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash

Method

1. 1
   Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water and leave for five minutes. Tip the semolina rimacinata and salt into a large bowl, make a well, and pour in the yeast liquid. Mix until a shaggy dough forms, then turn out and knead firmly for eight minutes. Semolina absorbs water more slowly than wheat flour; the dough will feel stiff and slightly grainy at first, then gradually tighten into a smooth, cohesive mass.
2. 2
   This is where the puccia lives or dies. In the final two minutes of kneading only, scatter the roughly chopped olives and the whole small anchovy fillets across the dough and work them in with deliberate folds. Incorporating oil-rich ingredients earlier inhibits gluten development and produces a roll that is dense and compressed rather than chewy. The dough should remain cohesive; the olives and anchovy should be distributed throughout without being pulped.
3. 3
   Form the dough into a ball, cover and leave to rise until doubled. Semolina doughs proof more slowly than wheat doughs; allow accordingly and judge by volume, not the clock.
4. 4
   Place a baking stone or heavy baking sheet on the middle shelf of the oven and heat to 220 °C. Divide the dough into six equal pieces. Shape each into a flattened round approximately 10 cm in diameter and 2.5 cm thick. The flat shape ensures even baking through the dense semolina crumb. Set on a lightly floured surface, cover, and proof for 45 minutes, until each round is clearly and visibly puffed.
5. 5
   Brush each puccia lightly with the beaten egg. Transfer to the hot stone or sheet — the intense bottom heat is what sets the characteristic dense, chewy crumb. Bake at 220 °C until the exterior is deep golden and firm to a light tap; the underside should sound hollow when knocked. The crust will carry a slight hardness that semolina alone does not achieve without the egg wash.
6. 6
   Transfer to a wire rack. The puccia is best eaten the same day, slightly warm. Semolina bread goes stale faster than wheat bread. Serve plain as a snack, or filled with roasted peppers, tuna or grilled vegetables.