Semolina Bread Recipe

This unique bread is like everything I want in a crusty bread but a bit better. The golden crust, creamy texture and amazing flavor make it irresistible! I have to admit that it's one of my favorites ever. This is a great loaf to start your baking journey with yeast, and this post has step-by-step images and instructions to guide you.

Originally posted on February 2012. Images and text in this post have been updated to serve you better. The recipe stays the same. 

I love baking with yeast. And though I know it's not everybody's thing, there are some bread recipes that are worth the time and dedication. This is one of them, for sure.

Others include Sunflower Oatmeal Dinner Rolls and the Orange Cinnamon Rolls (who can argue with sweet rolls, right?). Because yeast has a mind of its own and we have to adjust to it. A tyrant, haha.

What is semolina?

Semolina is a very fine-textured flour (image below, right) made from durum wheat (which is used, mainly, to make dried pasta). It has a nutty undertone and gives the bread a golden hue that's very welcomed.

Bread made with semolina has a crusty crust like no other. It makes the best croutons and the best bruschetta.

It is very different and much finer than bread flour (image below, left). Similar to very fine sand.

How to make this bread

This is a fantastic recipe because it's very easy to knead by hand. And even easier with a stand mixer (using the dough hook).

It is supple, soft and not sticky.

• First, a sponge is made: active-dry yeast (image 1) is mixed with flour and water (image 2 and 3). After resting covered for 1 hour it will have grown and air pockets like bubbles will have developed (image 4). If this doesn't happen the yeast is not working. Don't go on. Go buy new yeast.

• Adding the rest of the ingredients: with the sponge ready, we need to add the rest of the ingredients (images 5 and 6). It will look as though there are not enough wet ingredients when you turn it out onto the counter (image 7), but in no time after you start bringing it together and kneading, the dough starts forming. After 1 minute the dough is rough but not sticky and all the ingredients are combined (image 8).

• Kneading the dough: it takes 6-7 minutes to knead the dough by hand. Maybe just 5 with a stand mixer. Fold the dough onto itself and push it away again so you form it into a ball, press it down again and then reshape it. Don't push it away so much that you actually see it tearing. Repeat this until the dough is supple and soft. If you press a finger it should leave a slight indentation.
• Letting the dough rest: this is a crucial part of this recipe. Bread doughs with yeast need to rise until doubled in size. So put it in an oiled bowl, turn it around so it's all greased and cover the bowl with plastic (image below, left). Let rise in a draft-free, warm place. If the room is cold, I wrap it in a sweater or pashmina or something that keeps the temperature. It should double its size in about an hour (image below, right).

• Forming or shaping the bread: this part is easy because the dough is supple and great to work with. It can be shaped in different ways, but I always like the batard, which is kind of a very fat short baguette. The important steps here are flattening the dough with your hands (image 9), folding it as you would a cinnamon roll, and pinching it after each fold (images 10 and 11). Lastly, you need to pinch and seal the whole bread (image 12) so that it doesn't 'unfold' during baking when the yeast works its magic.

• Second rising: the bread, once shaped and in the baking sheet, needs a second rising, covered and in a draft-free warm place, before it is scored and baked (image 13 shows bread before second rising).
• Scoring the bread: Now you need to score the formed bread. These are the cuts or slits you make to the dough. They will allow the bread to rise better as it has a place to unfold and grow while baking. You can use a sharp kitchen knife (images 14 to 16), or a special tool called a lame. It is a razor blade on a stick, basically. You can lightly aid yourself with your hand (image 15), but it's best to be decisive and just go for the 45° cut.

• If you took the time to make this bread let me tell you it's one of the best.
• The crumb is creamy and delicious, dense without being heavy, perfect for toast or Italian Tomato Bruschetta. And Stuff on Toast. Oh, and it makes the best croutons.

Top tips

• Organization: read the instructions carefully first. This is important so you take into account the resting times and tools you need.
• Semolina: buy the superfine one. Though it would be labeled differently, semolina comes in different sizes. Couscous is also semolina, for example.
• Bread flour: there is flour specially made for bread. It has more gluten than all-purpose. Gluten is the ingredient that develops with kneading and helps the bread grow. The bread will work with all-purpose (not cake) flour, but it's a good idea to look for it or buy it online.
• Freezing: this a wonderful bread to freeze in slices and have ready for toast or bruschettas. Slice it and wrap it in plastic or put it in a Ziploc bag. It will last for a month.

I wanted to bake an all-semolina bread, but it didn't turn out well. It just didn't work. So the compromise was to find a bread that had semolina and also bread flour.

I found it, and it's perfect.

Substitute semolina

Semolina flour is unique due to all that I explained above.

But, if you still need to substitute it use spelt or Kamut flour, available at specialty stores, online or at many supermarkets.

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Adapted from How To Bake by Nick Malgieri