Carasau bread is a typical Sardinian bread, also known as the Italian name of “music paper” for its crunchiness and for the noise when it breaks. It looks like a very thin and crunchy round leaf and is considered one of the oldest bread types in the world.
The word “Carasau” comes from the word “carasare” which in Sardinian means “toasting”, in fact, the bread disks are roasted for a second time in the oven
Carasau bread is a product of Sardinian culinary tradition typical of popular cuisine, in fact, the ingredients are simple and accessible to everyone: yeast, salt, water and hard wheat flour.
In the past, two different types of bread doughs existed: one for the wealthy families, one for the less wealthy. In the finest dough, was used hard wheat flour, the popular one, instead, was made of dark brown barley flour.
Carasau bread can be eaten naturally, or wet with water to be eaten more easily with cured meat and cheeses. There are two other versions of Carasau bread:
- Guttiàu bread which is wet with a few drops of oil, salted and slightly shredded in the oven;
- Frattàu bread is sown for a short time in boiling salted water, then placed on the plate, with tomato sauce and grated pecorino cheese, as if it is a lasagna.
The whole process of preparing bread in Sardinian dialect is called “Sa Cotta”, and in the past, it was considered a family rite and was made by 3 women, friends or relatives, who helped each other.
The Carasau bread recipe is divided into 4 main stages: preparation of the dough, raising, cooking and “carasatura” which is the second cooking.
Here is the preparation of the Carasau Bread:
Pour the water into a large bowl, add the yeast, the semolina and begin to knead, after a few minutes put the salt and continue to work until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place it in a container for about 30-45 minutes.
then, divide it into 3 doughs of 250 g each and form 3 balls. Cover with a towel and let it rest for about 30 minutes.
After, helping with a rolling pin, lay out each ball, forming a disc with a diameter of about 40 cm. Place each disc on a cotton cloth for 30 minutes.
Turn on the oven and warm the plate (or leak) of the oven upside down. When the oven is ready, start baking the first bread disc. After a while, the discs begin to swell, when it is swollen on both sides, bring it out. With a knife, divide the bread into two parts. Stack the sheets and press them lightly to prevent the edges from folding on themselves. At this point, there is the phase of the
At this point, there is the phase of the carasatura. For about a minute, put all the discs in the oven, spin, and stack again and press slightly. This makes the bread crisp and gives it with a long shelf life.
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