Panmarino (Italian Rosemary Bread)
Makes 2 rounds
The late Carol Field wrote remarkable books about the food of Italy, beginning with “The Italian Baker” in 1985, which remains the definitive volume on the subject. Panmarino, or rosemary bread, is a recipe given to her by an Italian baker named Luciano Pancalde of Ferrara in the north of Italy. Pancalde was reading about the d’Este family, who ruled the region during the Renaissance. “He discovered that one of the numerous spectacular court banquets featured a rosemary bread with a crust described as sparkling with diamonds,” wrote Field. He re-created the recipe, which is mixed with milk, olive oil, and lots of the freshly chopped herb; it makes two rounds. Allow 1½ hours for the dough to rise the first time, then shape the bread without kneading. Leave to rise again (45 to 55 minutes) but not until doubled in bulk so the rounds spring up during baking. Slash the tops in an asterisk pattern, then sprinkle sea salt into the crevices. During the first 10 minutes in a very hot oven, spray the rounds with water three times to make the bread crusty. Use a baking stone, if you like, letting it heat for 30 minutes, and sprinkling it with cornmeal before sliding the loaves onto it. I've made this bread for many years, sometimes in one very large loaf from this amount of dough, which looks spectacular on a buffet (longer baking time, of course; tap the bottom with your knuckles and if it sounds hollow, it's baked through). The dough isn't difficult to put together and you get the most pleasing results, not just from wonderful yeasty aromas in your kitchen and the scent of rosemary, but also from the beautiful texture.
3¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup chopped fresh rosemary (most of a 1-ounce
package)
4 teaspoons kosher salt
5 cups flour, or more if needed Extra flour (for sprinkling) Extra olive oil (for the bowl) Coarse sea salt (for sprinkling)
1. In a bowl large enough to hold all the ingredients, sprinkle the yeast over the water; set aside for 10 minutes.
2. Stir in the milk, oil, rosemary, and kosher salt. With a wooden spoon, add the flour 2 cups at a time, stirring with a large wooden spoon until the mixture comes together to form a dough. Add more flour, a few tablespoons at a time, if necessary.
3. Sprinkle the counter lightly with flour. Turn the dough out onto the counter and knead for about 8 minutes, or until it is velvety, elastic, and smooth.
4. Rub the inside of a large clean bowl with olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl and turn it over so it's coated on all sides. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place to rise for 1½ hours, or until doubled in size.
5. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
6. Deflate the dough in the bowl. Turn it out onto a lightly floured counter but do not knead it. Cut the dough in half and shape each into a ball, keeping one side very smooth and all the seams on the bottom.
7. Set the rounds, smooth sides up, on the baking sheet, leaving space between them. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Leave to rise in a warm place for 40 to 45 minutes, or until they are not quite doubled in size.
8. Set the oven at 450 degrees.
9. Use a razor blade or a sharp paring knife to make an asterisk pattern on the top of each loaf. Sprinkle with sea salt.
10. Bake the loaves for 10 minutes, spraying the loaves with water every 3 minutes (3 times). Lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Continue baking for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the the breads are golden brown all over and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom with your knuckles. (Total baking time is 40 to 45 minutes.)
11. Transfer the breads to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.