Casareccio (Rustic Wholewheat Bread)
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Casareccio is a rustic Italian wholewheat bread made with biga starter, yielding 3 crusty loaves with a chewy crumb. Fold in walnuts, pistachios, or black olives for your own twist.
YIELD
3 small loavesPREP
15 minCOOK
45 minREADY
7 hrsThis is the bread you’d find cooling on a stone windowsill in the Italian countryside. Casareccio is a slow-rise, no-knead-style loaf built on a biga starter that gives it that tangy complexity and open, airy crumb you only get from patience.
A mix of whole wheat and white flour delivers an earthy, nutty flavor with a crust that crackles when you tear into it.
The dough is wet and sticky by design, so trust the process. Three to five hours (or an overnight rest in the fridge) does all the heavy lifting for you.
Fold in walnuts, pistachios, or pitted Italian black olives before shaping to make each loaf your own.
Kitchen Tips
- Keep your hands wet when handling this sticky dough. Flour will toughen it up.
- The overnight refrigerator rise develops the deepest flavor. Pull the dough out and let it come to room temperature before shaping.
- Pull the parchment paper out at the 15-minute mark so the bottom crust crisps directly on the baking sheet.
- Tap the bottom of a finished loaf. If it sounds hollow, it’s done.
Variations
- Walnut Casareccio: Fold in a third of a pound of chopped walnuts for a rich, earthy crunch.
- Pistachio Casareccio: Half a cup of shelled pistachios adds buttery sweetness and gorgeous green flecks.
- Olive Casareccio: Pitted Italian black olives bring a briny, savory punch that pairs beautifully with aged cheese.
Ingredients
Directions
Stir the yeast into the warm water and let proof for 10 minutes. Add the remaining water, biga, then the flours and the salt.
Mix with a wooden spoon for 5 minutes. The dough will not pull away from the side of the bowl.
Wet your hands and knead on a lightly floured board to ensure that all the ingredients are well mixed.
Turn into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until it has almost tripled in volume, 3 to 5 hours.
This dough works very well if left to rise overnight or in the refrigerator. Let it come back to room temperature before shaping.
Flour your work surface very well and flour a scaper. Turn the dough onto the work surface, but do not punch down.
Divide into 3 equal pieces. Work in your filling if using by flattening the dough and sprinkling equal amounts of filing over the dough.
Turn in the sides of the dough and roll each piece into a ball, being gentle but at the same time pulling the skin taut.
Place the loaves on floured parchment paper set on baking sheets, cover with a heavy cloth and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 450F. Bake the loaves for 15 minutes. At this point the dough should be set you can remove the paper. Slide the loaves directly onto the baking sheets and bake until crusty and golden, about 30 to 35 minutes.
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