Palm & Vine
  • Home
  • Free Resources
  • About Me
  • Press & Portfolio
  • Services
  • Contact Me
  • Wine
    • Tastings & Events
    • Wineries
    • World of Wine
  • Rare Varieties
  • Food & Wine
  • Musings

Copyright © 2023 Palm & Vine.
All Rights Reserved.
 

Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
Cookie Policy
Disclaimer

Social Links

Free Resources
Contact
Palm & Vine
Palm & Vine Palm & Vine
  • Wine
    • Wine Tastings & Events
    • World of Wine
    • Wineries
  • Rare Varieties
  • Food & Wine
  • About
    • My Wine Lifestyle
    • Contact Me
  • Press & Portfolio
  • Services
    • Find Your Marketing Flavor Profile
    • Free Resources
  • WineComm 365
Shaping Pane Carasau
  • Food & Wine

Making Pane Carasau

  • 8 minute read
Total
3
Shares
1
0
2

During my month-long stay in Sardinia, I have come to appreciate a few defining characteristics of the Sardinian culture. The rich history, deep culture, national pride, emphasis on family, and importance of food and wine all make Sardinia so special for me. I have grown accustomed to sitting around the table with Marco, his mom, and dad for pranzo (lunch) and dinner (cena) each day. Taking the time to prepare a meal and eat together makes eating a special occasion. I have also grown accustomed to pane carasau. This traditional bread of Sardinia is more like a large, paper-thin crunchy cracker than any bread you may have in mind. Pane carasau is a staple at the Sardinian table, eaten with practically every meal. I don’t know how I am going to live without its heavenly crunch when we leave next week for Australia!

Pane carasau, in fact, is an ancient bread of Sardinia. Literally, ancient. Remnants of the bread and bread-making tools were discovered by archaeologists within the nuraghe stone structures around the island. Meaning pane carasau existed before 1,000 BC! The bread is thought to have been conceived for shepherds who used to stay away from home with their flocks for months at a time.

This impossibly thin crispy bread intrigued me. How was pane carasau so thin? How can it be incredibly crunchy yet not burnt? We had the bread with every meal at Marco’s family home, at every restaurant we dined at, and at the homes of friends and family who invited us over for dinner. I was hooked. I had to know how to make pane carasau!

So we asked Marco’s mom if she would teach me how to make the bread. Thankfully, she said yes. We waited until Marco’s sister was home from Madrid because apparently we needed the extra pair of hands. And did we ever!

Making Pane Carasau

On the last Sunday of 2018, we woke up early and got to work. Mama Pina made sure to tell me how lucky I was to be able to learn the process of making pane carasau. 😉 She was right! Mama Pina learned the process from her mother when she was just a little girl. The wooden table we worked on all day has been in the family for 40 years! Crazy to think about the amount of bread that’s been worked over on that table.

Marco remembers all of the grandmas and women waking up at 4am to start mixing and kneading the dough. Working diligently and in focused silence, these women would be making bread into the early hours of the night. We even worked all day with me, Marco, his mom and sister and didn’t make nearly the same amount of bread as the nonnas in the village. Though luckily, we didn’t have to get started at 4am.

Rather than put together a recipe for pane carasau, I’m going to write the process step by step with photos here. In order to make a true traditional, pane carasau, you need a brick oven heated with an open flame, bread paddles, lots of thick canvas cloth, and more. As you will see, making pane carasau is an extensive process. You might be able to make the bread with a conventional oven, but I definitely don’t think the end result would be the same. The brick oven really gives the bread it’s signature crunch.

Step 1: Start the Fire

In order for pane carasau to quickly puff up into a ball in the oven (you’ll see why later) then to get crispy and golden brown on the second go around, the oven needs to be really REALLY hot. That means starting the fire in the brick oven as early as possible. Then being sure to keep the flames stoked all day by adding wood as needed. Typically, olive tree branches are used for firewood because the heat level is better maintained at a constant temperature.

The Set Up
The set up for baking the bread

Step 2: Mix the Dough

First, heat water in a large pot. You’re going for tepid water, not too hot and not too cold. Mama Pina said the temperature is probably around 30°C. Two types of flour are used for the dough – regular farina (flour) and semola – at a 2:1 ratio farina to semola. We used the scoop below to measure the flour at 2.5 scoops of farina and 1.25 scoops of semola.

We combined the two flours in a large ceramic bowl. Using her hands, Mama Pina scooped to the bottom of the bowl and turned over the flour to the top.

Pane Carasau
Mixing flour for pane carasau

Next, a handful of coarse salt is added to the water. The water should taste quite salty. The tepid salted water gets slowly drizzled over the flour mixture while working to combine the flour and water by hand. Turning the flour over on itself and using a squeezing motion works well.

  • Pane Carasau
  • Pane Carasau
  • Pane Carasau

When the flour begins to clump together, the yeast slurry is ready to be thrown into the mix.

  • We used this leaving yeast mixed with half a small pot of warm water
    We used this leavening yeast mixed with half a small pot of warm water.
  • Leavening Yeast
    We used half of this yeast for the measurements above.

Once the dough is roughly combined, the kneading begins! First Mama Pina (and later me) began to knead the dough in the bowl using our fists. Then turned the dough over on itself and repeated. Once combined and starting to become soft, we removed the dough from the bowl and placed it on the floured table. Any time the dough wass resting on the table, it was covered with a linen cloth to help the leavening process.

Pane Carasau

We actually worked in two batches. Once the top half of the bowl was combined well, we removed that half from the bowl and repeated the process with the loose flour on the bottom half of the bowl. Then combined the two large pieces of dough on the table as seen in the photo.

Step 3: Knead, Knead, and Knead Some More

This large mound of dough was then cut into 3 pieces. Each piece of dough was kneaded on the table by hand.

Pane Carasau

Then the dough was passed through the bread kneading machine. This machine saves hours of time that would have otherwise been spent kneading the dough. I think the grandmas used to do everything by hand! Each piece of dough went through the machine about five or six times.

  • The Kneading Machine
    A square-shaped rolling pin beats the dough as it passes through the space between the pin and the backboard
  • The Kneading Machines
    The Kneading Machines – Mama Pina and the actual machine

We stacked each piece of dough on top of one another to form a large mound of dough. That mound was cut into three or four pieces. Then we repeated the whole process again.

Pane Carasau

Step 4: Prepare Dough Balls

We then cut the large mound of soft, smooth dough into five or six pieces. Mama Pina rolled each piece of dough out into a long, thick cylinder. Then used her hands to break off a fistful sized piece of dough, rolling each piece between her palm and the table to form a ball. Each ball was then lightly rolled in a mound of flour on the table.

  • Pane Carasau
    Break off a fist full of dough
  • Pane Carasau
  • Pane Carasau
    Roll each piece of dough into a ball
  • Pane Carasau
  • Pane Carasau
    Dust each ball of dough in flour

The excess flour was dusted off of each dough ball. Then we layered the balls of dough into the large ceramic bowl placing a piece of plastic between each layer of dough balls. We covered the bowl with a linen towel once full.

Pane Carasau
Resting balls of pane carasau dough

Step 5: Roll Out

Before we started rolling out each ball of dough, Mama Pina laid these heavy linen cloths near the fire to warm them a bit.

The Brick Oven
Heavy linens are warmed by the hot oven

Rolling out each ball of dough definitely requires a certain level of skill. First, each ball gets lightly patted into a small, flat round circle. The table gets a light dust of flour and the flattened ball gets a light dust of flour, too. Definitely don’t want to be heavy handed on the flour dusting. Mama Pina couldn’t emphasize this enough.

  • Rolling Out The Dough
    The flattened ball of dough ready to be rolled out.
  • Rolling Out The Dough
    Mama Pina and Marco hard at work rolling out the dough for pane carasau

The trick to rolling out a nearly perfect round circle is beginning the process by flattening the ball of dough into a perfectly round shape. Or as close to perfectly round as possible. Then using both hands, one on each end of the small rolling pin, begin to roll the dough out applying even pressure with both hands. Rotate the dough often in order to create an even thickness. Once the circle gets larger and the dough much thinner, fold the circle of dough over the rolling pin to lift and rotate the dough. The table and dough should be lightly sprinkled with flour as needed to prevent the dough from sticking to the table or the rolling pin.

  • Mama Pina
    Mama Pina finishes shaping the bread
  • Shaping Pane Carasau
    Getting ready to move the dough by folding the dough over the rolling pin
  • Shaping Pane Carasau
    Mama Pina expertly shapes the pane carasau
  • Pane Carasau
    The rolled out dough is covered and layered between sheets of the warm linen

We rolled each ball of dough out into a circle about 13 inches in diameter and 1-2 cm thick. We rolled each piece out as much as we could without damaging the dough and then Mama Pina finished off each into a perfect thin circle. Mama Pina said her mom used to hit her hands with the rolling pin if she didn’t roll out the dough into a well-shaped thin circle. I’m guessing this is why she is so efficient at doing so now!

Every piece of formed pane carasau then gets covered with the heavy warmed linen, stacking one piece on top of the next with a layer of linen in between (see photo above).

Step 6: Get Cooking

Mama Pina pushed the burning wood to one side of the brick oven. Lingering embers were put out with a quick slap from a small metal paddle. We watched as Mama Pina slid each piece of pane carasau off the paddle and into the oven. The heat causes the bread to bubble and puff up. Mama Pina then uses the smaller metal paddle to press the air throughout the bread so the once flat piece of dough ends up being a ball of dough full of hot air.

  • Pane Carasau
    Each piece of dough is slid directly into the hot brick oven.
  • Pane Carasau
    Using a small metal paddle, Mama Pina presses on the bread pushing the hot air throughout.
  • Pane Carasau
    The bread is removed from the oven when filled with hot air and the top and bottom have separated.
  • Pane Carasau
    The dough before (right) and after (left) the first time in the oven.

Step 7: Cut and Stack

The top and bottom halves of the bread are then separated as soon as the bread is removed from the oven. Working quickly and carefully so as not to be burned by hot air coming out from the bread, we quickly grabbed the bread as soon as Mama Pina flung it our way. Placing the bread on a large, round piece of cardboard on our laps, we first pressed the remaining hot air out using the flat side of a serrated knife. Then, we cut along the seam of the bread to separate the top and bottom pieces. Each piece was then stacked on top of each other to wait for the second go around in the oven.

Cook. Cut. Stack. Repeat.

Step 8: Return to the Oven

Once all of the bread was cut in half, each of the individual pieces then went back into the oven for a second time to become golden brown and crispy. When the bread was removed from the oven, we stacked the pieces on top of each other. While the bread was still hot, we covered the top piece with cardboard and pressed down gently around the edges to flatten any that might be curling up.

  • Pane Carasau
    Finished crispy pane carasau, fresh out of the oven.
  • Pane Carasau
    We gently pressed the curling edges of the pane carasau down using a piece of cardboard.

That, my friends, is how you make pane carasau! If the bread is kept dry, pane carasau can last for up to one year. But this delicious, crunchy bread would never last that long in my house.

Share 1
Tweet 0
Pin it 2

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
Total
3
Shares
Share 1
Tweet 0
Pin it 2
Related Topics
  • Appetizers
  • Food and Wine
  • Mediterranean
  • Sardinia
  • Side Dish
  • Travel Story
Previous Article
Sardinian Coastline
  • Musings

Discovering Beautiful Sardinia

View Post
Next Article
Gallura
  • Wineries
  • World of Wine

A Sardinian Wine Adventure

View Post

You May Also Like

Italian wines for Christmas dinner
View Post
  • 13 min
  • Food & Wine
  • Wine
  • World of Wine

6 Italian Wines for Christmas Dinner and Beyond

autumnfritto misto
View Post
  • 5 min
  • Food & Wine

Autumn Fritto Misto for a Delectable Spanish Cava Pairing

butternut squash crostini
View Post
  • 6 min
  • Food & Wine
  • Wine

Butternut Squash Crostini with Whipped Feta for an Easy Fall Appetizer

Murphy-Goode Wine
View Post
  • 5 min
  • Food & Wine
  • Wine

Murphy-Goode Wine is Ready to Make Friendsgiving a Goode Time

Orecchiette Pasta Wine Pairing
View Post
  • 3 min
  • Food & Wine

Orecchiette Pasta with Walnut Parsley Pesto, Asparagus & Spicy Sausage

Citrus Salad
View Post
  • 2 min
  • Food & Wine

Citrus Salad with Mozzarella, Avocado, Mint & Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Tuscan cuisine Tuscan wines
View Post
  • 7 min
  • Food & Wine

Tuscan Cuisine’s 10 Best Dishes with Wine Pairings to Match

Butternut Squash Tart with Caramelized Onions
View Post
  • 3 min
  • Food & Wine

Butternut Squash Tart for a Heartwarming Winter Weeknight

2 comments

  1. Kat says:
    August 17, 2021 at 10:03 pm

    This is awesome! But can you offer any rough estimates of time throughout the process? Knowing when and how long to rest the dough at certain steps is crucial. Did it rest/proof before balling? Did it rest/proof once balled and layered in the bowl? How long? Thank you

    Reply
    1. palmandvine says:
      September 6, 2021 at 6:43 am

      Hey Kat! Once all the dough was kneaded (which was almost 45 min. process with the kneading machine), the dough rested all together for around 30-45 min. After shaping the dough into balls, it rested again for 45-60 min. Then once each ball was flattened into the circles for cooking, it only rests long enough between the warm linen until the process is finished and you start baking them. However, the linen cloth had been warmed near the fire before putting the dough in. It’s also crucial to have a super hot oven, they use the tradition brick, wood-burning oven in Sardinia.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Discover Your Digital Marketing Flavor Profile

Winery digital marketing, wine social media marketing, winery brand messaging
about

About

Hi, I’m Nikki. Welcome to Palm & Vine – a wine blog for the adventurous at heart. Allow me to guide you into the world of wine, help you create unforgettable wine pairings, and inspire your wine travels to far off destinations. I can’t wait to savor, sip, and wander together.
Read More

Let’s Connect!

Free resources
Subscribe & Get Access To My Exclusive Digital Wine Resource Library!
Marketing by
ActiveCampaign

Rare Varieties

  • Freisa, italian wine, red wine, piedmont, piemonte italy
    • Rare Varieties

    Freisa – A Rare Italian Red Related to Nebbiolo

      • Rare Varieties
    View Post
  • Roero, Arneis, Piedmont Italy, Italian wine, wine region
    • Rare Varieties

    Arneis: Piedmont’s Great White Italian Wine

      • Rare Varieties
    View Post
  • Verduno Pelaverga, Piedmont, Cuneo
    • Rare Varieties

    Pelaverga a.k.a. One of Piedmont’s Most Delicious Rare Varieties

      • Rare Varieties
    View Post
  • Timorasso, Derthona, Walter Massa
    • Rare Varieties

    Timorasso – From Nearly Extinct to Cult Classic

      • Rare Varieties
    View Post
  • slarina, Italian red wine, Monferrato
    • Rare Varieties

    Slarina: Almost Extinct Age Worthy Red Wines in Monferrato

      • Rare Varieties
    View Post

Watch Wine Masters TV

wine masters TV, wine documentary, learn about wine, wine movies, gaja, mastroberardino, antinori, italian wine, french wine, spanish wine

Instagram

If you’re slinging wine, then you need to know how to write about it! Nothing groundbreaking, but at the very least you should be able to write enticing tasting notes...
📣📣 Calling all wine brands, wineries, wine shops, and wine businesses! I'm excited to share something I've been cooking up for you...
✨ Save this post for a must-try restaurant for the next time you find yourself in 📍Nuoro, Sardegna…
Are you ready to visit one of the world's most renowned wine regions with me?
Feels like it’s time for a little reintroduction 😊
My Saturdays are looking a lot different lately 😍😍 Our vineyard planting got pushed back a bit due to mother nature 🙏🏼 aka lots of rain, but IT’S ALMOST TIME! Worked on the fencing for our mountain site today to keep those wild 🐗 boars (and others) out 💪🏼
Follow

Posts You’ll Love

  • aromas in wine, wine tasting, red wine aromas, primary aromas
    Aromas in Wine: 25 of the Most Common Wine Aromas Explained
  • Adelaida Vineyards & Winery
    Exclusive Look Inside Adelaida Vineyards & Winery
  • Bud Break in Burgundy
    Bud Break, Flowering & Fruit Set – Nature’s Gift to Wine Lovers
  • Cannonau
    Sardinian Cannonau is a Global Contender
  • Vernaccia di Oristano
    Vernaccia di Oristano – Sardinia’s Most Fascinating Wine
Palm & Vine Wine Blog

Copyright © 2023 Palm & Vine.
All Rights Reserved.
 

Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
Cookie Policy
Disclaimer

Featured Categories

Crostini Appetizer
Food & Wine
53 Posts
View Posts
Yarra Valley Wine Region
Musings
21 Posts
View Posts
Veraison Grapes
Rare Varieties
51 Posts
View Posts
Palm & Vine
Tastings & Events
19 Posts
View Posts
winemaking, wine country, wine region, vineyards
Wine
23 Posts
View Posts
Adelaida Vineyards & Winery
Wineries
35 Posts
View Posts
Vigne Surrau Barrel Room
World of Wine
38 Posts
View Posts
If you’re slinging wine, then you need to know how to write about it! Nothing groundbreaking, but at the very least you should be able to write enticing tasting notes...
📣📣 Calling all wine brands, wineries, wine shops, and wine businesses! I'm excited to share something I've been cooking up for you...
✨ Save this post for a must-try restaurant for the next time you find yourself in 📍Nuoro, Sardegna…
Are you ready to visit one of the world's most renowned wine regions with me?
Feels like it’s time for a little reintroduction 😊
My Saturdays are looking a lot different lately 😍😍 Our vineyard planting got pushed back a bit due to mother nature 🙏🏼 aka lots of rain, but IT’S ALMOST TIME! Worked on the fencing for our mountain site today to keep those wild 🐗 boars (and others) out 💪🏼
Subscribe & Get Access To My Exclusive Digital Wine Resource Library!
Marketing by
ActiveCampaign

Copyright © 2023 Palm & Vine.
All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
Cookie Policy
Disclaimer

Free resources

Pinterest Profile

Input your search keywords and press Enter.

This website uses cookies to function and to track how you interact with the website. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Read More Cookie settings Accept
Cookie Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser, as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Advertisement

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.

Analytics

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

Performance

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

 

Loading Comments...