Tour of Italy ~ Day 12... Sailing to Sardinia

       I loved the opening historical story that lead us to Sardinia. The facts of the matter is that the inhabitants of the island of Sardinia do not like fish, as one would assume that they might as being from one of the second largest island in the Mediterranean. Fact is they don't like the sea at all and the reason is very simple. "The island's coastline was a marshy breeding ground for Malaria as well as happy hunting ground for marauding pirates." Most shore dwellers of old fled inland and became shepherds. Those who ended up staying out on the coast lines ended up becoming know as "Outsiders". Most of the simple tastes and flavors of Sardinia come from the mountainous ares where you will find that their diets are mainly based on meats, cheeses and crispbread. I love the recipe we are sharing today, very simple and goes well with any dish.

Sardinian Crispbread

 "This famous Sardinian crispbread, called Carta di Musica ("music sheet" crispbread), gets its name because the bread comes in thin, unleavened leaves and often develops long cracks that suffest the lines of a musical staff."

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 cups semolina flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/3 cups lukewarm water ( about)
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil ( about)
• sea salt, to taste

Directions

1. Combine first 3 ingredients in large bowl. Slowly mix in enough lukewarm water to form moist soft dough. Knead in bowl until dough is no longer sticky. Knead dough on lightly floured work surface until smooth, about 15 minutes. Cover with plastic and let stand at room temperature at least 20 minutes and up to 1 1/2 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 450°F Very lightly dust 2 large baking sheets with whole what pastry flour. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. Pat 1 piece into disk (keep remaining dough covered). Roll out disk to 13-inch round, lifting and turning often. Transfer to baking sheet. Bake until edges begin to turn up and bread is still malleable, about 3 minutes. Turn bread over and bake until bread bubbles in spots and is golden in places, about 4 minutes longer. Transfer to rack.
3. Brush oil over bread. Sprinkle with sea salt.
4. Repeat with remaining dough.