U Biscuott’

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This is a twice baked bread that is eaten with salads, stews and soups. Also made is a bagel shape, these breads are hard and must be run under water before eating. I know that seems counterintuitive with bread, but trust me, if you value your teeth you won’t skip this step! It is usually made with a combination of whole wheat and white flour. You can find these breads all over southern Italy. I was taught to make these by my mom who learned from my uncle from Gragnano. These are a time commitment and that is why I make so many when I decided to make them. They last months in a sealed container because all of the moisture is dried out of them in the toasting process.

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U Biscuott’

A twice baked bread meant for salads, soups and stews.
Course Bread
Cuisine Italian
Keyword Bread, friselle, u biscuott

Ingredients

  • 1400 g Unbleached AP Flour
  • 600 g Whole wheat flour
  • 1300 g Warm water 110F
  • 35 g Salt
  • 25 g Fresh yeast or 2 1/4 tsp dry yeast
  • 2 tsp Sugar

Instructions

  • Start by mixing all of the dry ingredients, flours and salt. Sift them together onto a needing board or into the bowl of a standmixer.
  • Proof the yeast in the warm water with 2 tsp of sugar. Once the mixture is foamy, it's ready.
  • If mixing by hand, make a well in the center of the flour and pour the yeast mixture in the center. Begin to incorporate the flour with the water slowly. Once the flour is all incorporated, begin to knead the dough until you achieve a smooth ball. This may take anywhere between 10-15 mins.
  • If using a standmixer, make sure your stand mixer is large enough to handle this amount of dough. Add all of the ingredients to the stand mixer and knead on medium speed with the dough hook attachment until the dough releases from the sides of the bowl. This process will take about 5-8 mins.
  • Once you have a smooth dough ball, cover and let it rise for 1-2 hours, until doubled in size.
  • Punch the dough down and form a ball again.
  • Into a 2 9×12 baking pans, sprinkle cornmeal on the bottom.
  • Cut pieces of dough. I use my scale to make sure they are all approximately the same size. They should be around 125g each.
  • Form each piece into a tight ball , roll it on the counter to smooth it out. Then roll it out to a log shape. Place into the baking pan and place the logs very close together so that they are touching. If you need to squeeze them together to make them fit that's fine.
  • Cover the with plastic wrap and let it rise for 30 mins.
  • In the meantime, preheat your oven to 400F.
  • Place them into the preheated oven. I like to spray the walls of the hot oven with water to create a steam effect. It helps the bread rise nicely when baking. Bake for 30 – 35 mins, until golden.
  • * Once slightly cooled, Pull them apart and lower the oven temp to 250-275F. Place them directly onto the grates of the oven. If you have a convection option on your oven, use it. These will toast for 3-5 hours, depending on your oven. You know they are ready when you squeeze one and breaks apart easily. That means you have throughly dried them out.

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