Semolina Bread {Healthy, Easy & Delicious}

Semolina bread is an Italian bread made with durum wheat flour.
Also called semolina flour. It is widely used in Southern Italy for bread baking. For this reason you’ll find many different types of Semolina bread.

Some of the most popular ones are Pane Di Altamura (Altamura bread) originated in humongous town in Puglia and Sicilian Semolina bread.

While there are more types of Sicilian bread made with semolina flour than you can imagine, there’s one type of Sicilian bread that is the most famous.

Slightly nutty sweet taste and coarse texture paired with delicious sesame crust makes this Semolina Bread is truly unique and irresistible.

It’s made with 100% semolina flour, water, yeast and salt.

Few people know that this type of bread was originated in small town of Monreale close to Palermo. In Sicilian dialect it’s called u pani ri Murriali.

It can be made in 3 shapes:

• large round loaves (about 2.2 punds / 2 kg)
• smaller round loaves (1.1 pounds / 1 kg)
• elongated loaves of different size that somewhat resemble a baguette.

In home environment the latest are the easiest to make. You’ll also love how versatile and excellent they’re in storage.

Semolina Bread Ingredients

• Semolina flour – durum wheat semolina preferably coarsely grind. Having said that you can also use fine ground semolina (semola rimacinata). What matters the most is that semolina flour has high protein content. Check the packaging Nutrition Label and make sure protein number is at least 4 g per 30 grams serving size or 12 grams per 100 gram serving size. The protein content is the key that will determine the success of the recipe.
• Water – bottled water, room temperature
• Yeast – active dry yeast
• Salt
• Sesame seeds

Tools You Need

• Large bowl
• Stand mixer or hand-held mixer with a dough hook
• Baking Sheet
• Clear plastic poly bag – optional but highly recommended
• Scissors

How To Make Semolina Bread – Step By Step With Pictures

Prepare no-yeast starter using water and flour. This process is called autolyse.

• Mix a little over a cup of water with semolina (reserve the remaining water for later).
• Knead until there’s no dry flour left.
• Cover with a plastic wrap and let rest for 1 hour.

Prepare the dough

• Add to semolina mix the remaining water and yeast. Knead briefly then add salt.
• Knead for 4 minutes using a mixer with a dough hook or for 10 minutes by hand.

• Make a a couple of dough folds until a smooth ball of dough is formed. Initially you can sprinkle the dough with a little of semolina flour.

• Place the dough in a bowl and using a sharp knife cut a cross.
• Cover with a plastic wrap and let rise until almost triple in size. It should take anywhere between 2.5 and 4 hours depending on the ambient temperature.

In my experience with the indicated quantity of yeast the dough will rise:

• In 2-2.5 hours at 80F or 26C.
• In 4 hours at 72F or 22C.

You can make the dough rise faster by adding an extra pinch of yeast or placing it in a warmer place (like lukewarm oven (80F or 26C). My oven will only preheat to minimum of  86F (30C) so I will preheat it to that and then leave for a few minutes to cool down a little bit.

Once the dough has risen divide it into a few pieces. Depending on the loaf size you want to make you can divide it into 9 ounces (250 g)  or 4.5-5 ounces loaves (125-150g).

• Take each piece of the dough and flatten it out with the tips of your fingers or using a rolling pin.
• Roll into a 2 inch thick roll. It should be no less than 2 inches or 5 cm in diameter. Thinner rolls will dry out in the oven too much!
• Pinch the seal and place on a lightly floured surface seal down. Repeat the process with the remaining dough.

• Using a spray bottle lightly spray each dough roll with water than dip wet side down in sesame seeds.
• Arrange the bread rolls on the baking sheet well distanced apart.
• Using scissors make a few cuts on each side of the loaf. As an alternative you can score your loaves with a knife.

• Cover with clear plastic poly bag, tuck it under the baking sheet letting some air in so that the bag won’t touch the dough.
• Alternatively you can place a couple of glasses on the baking sheet between the bread loaves and cover everything with a plastic wrap. Glasses will prevent the plastic stick to the dough.
• Let rise for 30-60 minutes. Again depending on the room temperature.

Bake in a preheated to 465 F (240C) oven for 10 minutes. Then lower to  390F (200C) and bake for another 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Storage Suggestions

Semolina bread will keep for a few days stored in your bread bag. However if you want to truly taste freshly baked bread at every meal it’s best to freeze as soon as it has cooled to room temperature.

Reheating Instructions

These loaves thaw really fast. Simply take them out of the freezer an hour before the mealtime and keep on the counter. You can also place them in a preheated oven and warm them up once they thaw.

These Semolina Bread loaves make excellent crostini!

More Italian Bread Recipes To Try

• Milk Bread Rolls {Panini Al Latte} – soft and fluffy milk rolls perfect for breakfast, party sandwiches, pigs in a blanket and more!
• Homemade Ciabatta Bread – step by step recipe and video on how to make the most delicious ciabatta bread with big holes.
• No Knead Ciabatta Rolls – easy & delicious no knead ciabatta rolls perfect for panini!
• Traditional Focaccia Bread {Focaccia Genovese} – thin, crunchy and soft inside.
• Focaccia Barese – focaccia with tomatoes and olives from Bari, made with real potatoes in the dough.
• Tuscan Bread {Pane Toscano} – salt-free Italian bread.
• Pagnotta {Italian Round Country Bread}
• Friselle Pugliesi – twice-baked Italian snack bread.

Full Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Italian Semolina Bread {Easy & Delicious}

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Semolina Bread with sesame seed crust is truly irresistible! It has slightly nutty sweet taste, bight yellow color and unique texture.

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Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Proofing time4 hours hrs

Course: Bread

Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 ⅓ cups durum wheat semolina flour (high protein) , 420 grams
• ▢ 1 ¼ cup water , 294 grams
• ▢ ½ tsp instant dry yeast , 2 grams
• ▢ 2 tsp salt , leveled teaspoon 8 grams
• ▢ ½ cup sesame seeds , 75 grams

Instructions

Prepare no-yeast starter

• Take a little over a cup of water from the total amount and mix with semolina. Reserve the remaining water for later.

  Knead until there’s no dry flour left.

  Cover with a plastic wrap and let rest for 1 hour.
  2 ⅓ cups durum wheat semolina flour (high protein), 1 ¼ cup water

Prepare the dough

• Add to the starter mix the remaining water and yeast. Knead briefly then add salt.

  Knead for 4 minutes using a mixer with a dough hook or for 10 minutes by hand.
  ½ tsp instant dry yeast, 2 tsp salt
• Make a couple of dough folds until a smooth ball forms. Place it in a bowl and cut a cross with a knife.
• Cover with a plastic wrap and let rise until almost triple in size. It should take anywhere between 2.5 and 4 hours depending on the ambient temperature.

Shape the loaves

• Once the dough has risen divide it into a few pieces. Depending on the loaf size you want to make you can divide it into 9 ounces (250 g) or 4.5-5 ounces loaves (125-150g).
• Take each piece of the dough and flatten it out with the tips of your fingers or using a rolling pin.
• Roll into a 2 inch thick roll. It should be no less than 2 inches or 5 cm in diameter. Thinner rolls will dry out in the oven too much!

  Pinch the seal and place on a lightly floured surface seal down. Repeat the process with the remaining dough.
• Using a spray bottle lightly spray each dough roll with water than dip wet side down in sesame seeds.
  ½ cup sesame seeds
• Arrange the bread rolls on the baking sheet well distanced apart as they’ll almost double when cooked.

Scoring & final proofing

• Using scissors make a few side cuts on each side of the loaf. On bigger loaves I like to make classic slit cuts with a sharp knife.
• Cover with clear plastic poly bag, tuck it under the baking sheet letting some air in so that the bag won’t touch the dough. As an alternative you can place a couple of glasses on the baking sheet between the bread loaves and cover everything with a plastic wrap. Glassed will prevent the plastic stick to the dough.
• Let rise for 30-60 minutes. Again depending on the room temperature.

Bake

• Bake in a preheated to 465 F (240C) oven for 10 minutes. Then lower to 390F (200C) and bake for another 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

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If you haven’t tried semolina bread yet, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with your new discovery.

Buon Appetito!