Semolina Sandwich Bread
You need just 6 simple ingredients to make this semolina sandwich bread. It's wonderfully soft, so flavorful. See recipe notes for overnight instructions and freezing.
Servings 1 loaf
Calories 2223kcal
Ingredients
- 365 ml (1 and ½ cups) water, warmed to about 110°F (43°C)
- 7 grams (2 and ¼ teaspoons) instant dry yeast
- 20 grams (1 and ½ tablespoons) white sugar
- 440 grams (2 and ¾ cups) fine semolina flour, plus as needed
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 60 grams (4 tablespoons) olive oil
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: Whisk the lukewarm water, yeast, and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer. Cover and allow to sit for 10-15 minutes or until foamy and bubbly.
- Add the semolina flour and salt. Combine with the dough hook on low speed for a full 4 minutes or until the dough comes together, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula to ensure all flour is incorporated. The dough sticks to the dough hook and pulls away from the sides of the bowl at the end of the step.
- Knead the dough: Beat the dough on medium speed for 4 minutes. If the dough becomes very wet, add 1 teaspoon of semolina flour at a time to the dough. Do not add much more flour or water than you need; you want a high-hydrate dough. The dough should be soft, smooth, and elastic after the kneading process.
- With the stand mixer running on low speed, add the olive oil, 1 teaspoon at a time. Wait until the olive oil is fully incorporated into the dough before you add the next olive oil teaspoon—this can take about 2-3 minutes. Keep the mixer working and mix for another 4 minutes (The dough sticks to the dough hook and remains slightly stuck to the bottom of the bowl). The dough should be very smooth and highly elastic. You can do a “windowpane test” to see if your dough has been kneaded long enough: pinch off a small piece of dough and gently stretch it out. If it stretches thin enough to let light through without tearing, the gluten is well developed, and the dough is ready to rise. If not, knead for 1 minute at a time until it passes the windowpane test.
- 1st Rise: Grease a medium bowl with oil or nonstick spray. Shape the dough into a ball on a lightly floured surface. A bowl scraper is useful when working with high-hydration dough. Place the dough in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise for 60 minutes at room temperature or until doubled in size.
- Grease an 8.5x4.5-inch loaf pan or a 9x5-inch loaf pan with oil or nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Shape the bread: When the dough is ready, lightly flour your hand and your work surface. Turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently degas the dough and press it into a large rectangle, about 8x12 inches (20x30 cm). Fold one quarter of the dough from the short side toward the center, and press to seal the seam. Bring the outer left and right corners to the center so they slightly overlap, and seal the seam again. Continue rolling the dough tightly toward you, like a scroll, and press down on the end to seal it, pinching the final seam closed to ensure the loaf is tight and uniform (Refer to the picture above for step-by-step shaping instructions). Place it in the prepared loaf pan. Alternatively, lightly flour your work surface, hand, and a rolling pin. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle, about 8x12 inches (20x30 cm). Roll it up into an 8-inch log and place it in the prepared loaf pan.
- 2nd Rise: Cover the shaped loaf with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel. Allow to rise until it is about 1 inch (2.5 cm) above the top of the pan, about 45 minutes.
- Adjust oven rack to a lower position and preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C).
- Bake: Place the loaf pan on the oven rack and bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown, turning the pan halfway through. If the top browns too quickly, cover the rolls with aluminum foil. To test for doneness, gently tap on the loaf; it should sound hollow. For an accurate test, the bread is done when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf registers 195–200°F (90–93°C).
- Once baked, remove the semolina sandwich bread from the oven and let them cool completely on a colling rack.
Notes
The temperature when I made this recipe: 70 Fahrenheit (21 Celsius).
Overnight Instructions: Follow the recipe up to Step 4, then place the dough in a bowl, cover tightly, and refrigerate at 40°F (4°C) for up to 16 hours. When you need it, the next day, remove the dough from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before you want it and keep it covered for rise for 60 minutes. Continue with the shaping step. Alternatively, you can shape the semolina sandwich loaf, then cover the shaped loaf and refrigerate it at 40°F (4°C) for up to 16 hours. When you need it, the next day, remove the shaped dough from the refrigerator and keep it covered to rise for about 1 hour or until it is about 1 inch (2.5 cm) above the top of the pan.
Freezing Instructions: Follow the recipe through Step 4, then place the dough in freezer bags and freeze at 0°F (-18°C) for up to 3 months. When needed, remove the dough from the freezer, let it thaw and rise for at least 3-4 hours at room temperature or until doubled in size, then shape your loaf. Alternatively, you can prepare the recipe through 6. Place shaped loaf in the prepared loaf pan, cover tightly and freeze at 0°F (-18°C) for up to 3 months. When needed, let the loaf thaw and rise for at least 3-4 hours at room temperature or until doubled in size, then bake.
Special Tools (affiliate links): Kitchen Scale with Liquid measuring cups / Measuring Cups & Spoons | Stand Mixer | Bench scraper / Bowl Scraper | Rolling Pin | 8.5x4.5-inch Loaf Pan / 9x5-inch Loaf Pan | Instant-Read Thermometer | Colling Rack.
Flour: I used 12% protein Italian semolina flour in this recipe, but you can use your favorite brand.
Yeast: You can also use active dry yeast or fresh baker's yeast (20 grams) without any change to the preparation method. Keep in mind that active dry yeast takes longer to rise.
