Sardinian bread

Sardinian bread is often referred to as Sardinian parchment bread – the traditional shepherd’s bread or Carta Musica. This flat crispy bread is the traditional bread of the Island Sardinia Italy and is used for everything from sandwiches to olive oil dips. The bread is typically baked twice to give it its characteristic crispiness.

As with most cultures, this bread is now often purchased rather than made at home, but those who do still make their own will find the number of recipes and variations to be abundant. Just like with every other recipe, families adapt and change things to make it their own version of Sardinian bread, but the result is always very similar and it is a classic to have with Italian food such as cheese and pasta.

If you want to learn how to make your own Sardinian bread, you need to start with a reliable and authentic recipe. It can be hard to achieve the same rustic results with today’s modern kitchens, but a close approximation can be achieved. The ingredients will typically call for a combination of flour and semolina in a ratio of two to one. The semolina is a common ingredient used in making pasta, puddings, cereal and other Italian dishes. It is the coarsely ground endosperm of durum wheat and is high in protein and essential for high quality pasta. Semolina is a must for making authentic Sardinian bread.

Sardinian Bread or Carta Musica

Preheat the oven to 400° F with an upside down baking sheet on the center rack.

Mix together two parts flour with one part semolina and a big pinch of salt. Gradually stir in enough warm water to make a smooth dough, the dough should not be sticky and should be easy to shape. The amount of water needed will depend on the temperature and humidity on the day you make your bread. Rather than rely on an exact measurement, the look and feel of the dough should be your guide.

Divide the dough into ten small balls and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let rest approximately 15 minutes. Roll each dough ball out on a lightly floured surface to approximately 1/16” or slightly less. Using a floured peel transfer the dough to the back of the preheated baking sheet, still in the oven. Bake for approximately 2-1/2 minutes or until the bread begins to bubble on the surface, watch carefully so it doesn’t burn, turn and bake another 2-1/2 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack and continue baking the remaining rounds. Your Sardinian Bread should hopefully turn out perfect!