Puglia
The street bread of the Salento — a round, dense roll made from semolina dough enriched with coarsely chopped Cellina di Nardò black olives and whole anchovy fillets mixed into the dough before baking. The olives and anchovy bake into the crumb, releasing their oils and salinity throughout. Eaten as a snack or filled with roasted peppers, tuna or grilled vegetables — the ultimate Salentino panino.
Dense, yellow and chewy from the semolina; black olive oil and salt permeate the crumb; anchovy adds a background umami rather than fish flavour; the roll is almost a condiment in itself — Salentino street food of pure character
{"Semolina flour only (rimacinata) — no wheat flour; the semolina gives the characteristic yellow crumb and density","Knead the olives (roughly chopped, not sliced) and whole small anchovy fillets into the dough in the last 2 minutes of kneading — earlier incorporation of oil-rich ingredients inhibits gluten development","Shape into flattened rounds (10cm diameter, 2.5cm thick) — the flat shape ensures even baking through the dense semolina","Second proof 45 minutes until clearly puffed — semolina doughs proof more slowly than wheat doughs","Bake at 220°C on a hot stone or heavy baking sheet — the intense bottom heat is what gives the characteristic dense, chewy crumb"}
{"Pitting the olives (Cellina di Nardò or Ogliarola) and leaving them whole rather than chopped gives larger pockets of flavour","A light egg wash before baking gives a golden crust that the semolina alone doesn't achieve","The puccia is best eaten the same day, slightly warm — semolina bread goes stale faster than wheat bread"}
{"Wheat flour instead of semolina — the texture and colour are completely different","Incorporating olives and anchovy too early in the mixing — the fat inhibits gluten development and the roll becomes dense and compressed","Low baking temperature — the crumb doesn't set correctly and the exterior lacks the slight hardness that makes puccia distinctive"}
La Cucina del Salento — Pasta, Olio e Mare