#23: Pane Siciliano

This bread was a three-day process, even though I didn't notice that fact until day 2.  Luckily I had Memorial Day to finish the baking.  Day 1 was the pre-ferment which retarded in the refrigerator overnight.  Day 2 involved making the final dough, fermenting for two hours, shaping into S-shaped loaves and then retarding them in the refrigerator overnight to slowly proof them.  Day 3 was baking day.

The dough was delightfully soft and easy to work with and the semolina flour gave the bread a delightful taste that was similar to an enriched bread.  However that could just be the honey and olive oil coming through.  I topped with flax seed instead of sesame seeds because that's what I had on hand and would have had better success sprinkling them on during day 2 instead of just prior to baking.  The seeds didn't attach to the loaves very well.  I made three loaves per the recipe but next time I think I'll try more loaves, like around 6.  My three loaves expanded till they touched during baking and slightly spoiled the beautiful S-curve of the loaves.

This bread is definitely a keeper.