The stages of preparation of ALTAMURA BREAD

The preparation of Altamura bread includes five phases: kneading, forming, leavening, shaping, cooking in a wood-fired oven.
Today the bakers follow all the steps of the working process, following the tradiziomadre “, also called” sourdough “, a compound consisting of the baking method, which requires the use of “yeast from water and flour, used only after the achievement of the right degree of acidity.
It is possible to renew it three times. This mixture facilitates the development of a specific micro flora, as well as of lacto bacteria, which make the finished product highly digestible.
To this ingredient are added water, sea salt and re-milled durum wheat semolina.
The grains used, of the varieties “appulo”, “arcangelo”, “duilio”, “simeto”, must be cultivated in territories included in the Murgia area. After mixing the ingredients, working well the dough for about twenty minutes, we proceed to divide it into smaller pieces, leaving it to rise for an hour and a half. We continue with the manual modeling of the mass, then left to rest for 30 minutes, after which the operation is repeated.
After a further 15 minutes of rest, not before being overturned and crushed on one side with a light pressure of the hand, the loaves are baked in a wood oven, at a temperature of 250o C. During the first cooking phase, about 15 minutes, the oven door is left open.
Cooking continues for another 45 minutes.
The oven is opened 5 minutes before the bread is completely cooked, to allow the formation of a crispy crust, which must be at least 3mm thick.