Cooking Recipe Puccia (Olive Studded Rolls)
Recipe Ingredients
Directions
Stir the yeast into the warm water in a large bowl or heavy mixer. Let
proof for 10 minutes. Add the remaining water & the biga & mix until
well blended. Add the flours & mix until the dough comes together, 1
to 2 minutes, although it will not come away from the sides of the
bowl. With very wet hands, knead until the dough is very silky, soft
& elasticy. Knead on a lightly floured board to eliminate the
stickiness. Knead in the olives by hand to ensure that they remain
whole. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl & let rise, covered, until
tripled, 3 to 4 hours. Pour the wet dough out of the bowl onto a
floured work surface. Do not punch it down. Flour the top & divide
into 12 pieces (or 16 if you want smaller rolls). Have a bowl of
water handy to keep your hands very wet. Flatten each piece & roll it
up lengthwise. Pat them flat, turn the dough 90 degrees & roll them
up again. Shape each piece into a ball. Set on a floured baking
sheet. Toss a hailstorm of flour over the tops & cover with a heavy
cloth. Leave until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Preheat the oven to
425F. Bake the rolls until they are crusty & golden, about 25 to 30
minutes. VARIATIONS: Puccia di Grano Duro. Substitute 7 1/2 c durum
flour for the flours above. Knead the dough for an extra two minutes.
Puccia di Uva Passa. Use raisins, softened in water for 30 minutes,
in place of the olives. Pizzi. Add 1/4 ts to 3/8 ts hot pepper flakes
to the vegetables of Cucuzzara (see recipe) & folding them into the
dough in place of the olives.