Pane Carasau is without a doubt the most famous Sardinian bread in the world. It's a traditional Sardinian flat bread from Barbagia area, with thin, crispy sheets, made with high quality hard wheat bran (or semola di grano duro in Italian), like “Senatore Capelli” (rich in vitamins, amino acid and minerals), salt, yeast and water.
The recipe is very ancient and was conceived for shepherds who used to stay far from home during the long periods they spent in summertime taking care of their herds. It has a long shelf life. It can be kept for up to one year if it is kept dry.
After having prepared the dough, it had to be rolled out into very thin sheets that were baked in a very hot oven (840°-930°F) until it puffed up like a ball. Then it has to be removed from the oven, and with great skill, cut along its circumference and divided into two sheets which are baked again to obtain its crispiness and characteristic colour, or carasatura.
The bread can be eaten either dry or wet with water, wine, broth or a variety of sauces. It's perfect for brunch or as a nibble. We call it the Sardinian cracker for its crispy thin texture, that works really well on its own or paired with cheese and salami.
It's also delicious soaked in water or broth and with fresh cherry tomatoes and oregano. It can be used in several recipes as an ingredient, for example instead of pasta for lasagna the bread can be used for“Pane Frattau”. It's softened using meat or vegetable broth, and transformed into a sort of lasagna, alternating layers of bread, tomato sauce and grated pecorino cheese and finally with poached eggs on top of the last layer.
Ollolai, Dorgali, Fonni, Nuoro, Orani, Galtelli are just some of the towns where this type of bread is produced.
Contain gluten