Sicilian Panini Buns Recipes

PANE SICILIANO (SESAME SEED SICILIAN BREAD)

Steps:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, sift both flours, salt and yeast. Add ¾ cup of water.
• Mix on low speed until mixture comes together. If too dry, add additional 2 tablespoons of water a little at a time until mixture is sticky and pulling away from sides of bowl. If more water is needed, add one tablespoon at a time.
• Trade the paddle for a dough hook and mix the dough for four minutes or kneed by hand for six minutes on the counter.
• Transfer the dough to a bowl with a little bit of olive oil, turning dough so it is covered on all sides.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a dish towel and place in a warm location for about 90 minutes or until the dough rises to 1½ times its original size.
• Lightly punch the dough down and then cover. Place in the refrigerator overnight. This pre-dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to three days or freeze for three months.
• The next day and one hour before starting the bread dough, take Pate Fermentee out of the refrigerator and cut into 10 individuals pieces. Cover with plastic and a towel and let the dough warm up for one hour.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, sift together both flours, salt and yeast. Add in olive oil, honey, Pate Fermentee pieces and 1 ¼ cups of water. Mix on low speed until mixture comes together and is tacky and sticks to the sides of the bowl. Add remaining ¼ cup of water a teaspoon at a time if needed and only if needed. Dough should be sticky not dry.
• Switch the paddle attachment for a dough hook and turn on low speed. Continue at low speed for 4-6 minutes until know is properly kneaded, or kneed by hand for 6-8 minutes. If you pull out a piece and stretch it between your hands, it should stay together and you should be able to see light through the stretched dough. If it tears, continue to kneed.
• Transfer the dough to a bowl with a little bit of olive oil turning the dough so it is covered on all sides.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a dish towel and place in a warm place for about two hours or until the dough doubles from its original size.
• Gently divide the dough into three equal pieces and roll out into three two foot long rolls trying not to degas the dough too much. Press a crease down the center of each roll and fold over and seal as if you were sealing and envelope ending with seam side down. If dough is not pliable enough, let rest for five minutes then continue. You want the dough to stretch and stay stretched and not bounce back or pull back.
• Roll each end around pin wheel style towards the center. Each end should roll in the opposite direction of the other end so it forms the letter S. Do not roll too tight, the S loop on each end should be just one 360 degree turn.
• Sprinkle two sheet pans with a little semolina flour and place two loaves of dough on one pan and the third in the center of the other pan. Leave enough room for the bread to double in size.
• Mist the top of each dough with water and sprinkle sesame seeds over.
• Spray the tops with pan spray so plastic wrap does not stick.
• Stick a tooth pick or two into each dough and cover pan with plastic wrap.
• Place pans in the refrigerator overnight.
• Remove the three pans from the refrigerator and bring up to room temperature (a few hours) The dough should be twice the size as the day before and when poked, should not spring back.
• Place the oven rack in the middle of the oven and place a shallow roasting pan or a cast iron pan in the bottom of the oven. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
• Fill a teapot with water and bring to a boil. Fill a water mister with water.
• Once the oven is hot and the water is hot, uncover the dough and remove the tooth picks.
• Working quickly, place the bread dough onto the middle rack and pour a cup of hot water into the pan at the bottom of the oven and close the door. After 30 seconds, spray the oven walls with the mister and close the door. Repeat twice more at 30 second intervals.
• After the final spray, lower the oven temperature to 450 and bake for 15 minutes. Rotate the pan 180 degrees. At this point, if the loaves are touching, separate them slightly.
• Bake for another 10-15 minutes more until the loaves are rich and golden brown all over. If there are still white parts, extend the baking time a few extra minutes. Internal bread temp should be between 200 and 205 degrees using a probe thermometer.
• Remove the pans and transfer the bread to a cooling rack and cool for 45 minutes.
• Note: If you have the standard home oven, bake the two pans separately to make sure the heat and moisture are dispersed properly. If you have a larger oven, bake both pans together. All of the steps in this very long recipe are absolutely necessary for a superior finished product. Spray a fine mist of non-stick cooking spray (such as Pam) to give the loaves a fine sheen.

SICILIAN PANINI BUNS

Steps:

• Stir together the water, yeast, and sugar.
• Set aside until the yeast blooms, about 5 minutes.
• Place 3 cups of the flour and the salt in a mixing bowl.
• Add the yeast mixture and the oil, and stir to form a sticky dough.
• Knead, adding the remaining flour a little at a time, until the dough becomes a smooth, elastic ball, about about 5 to 8 minutes.
• If you use an electric mixer, combine the ingredients with the paddle attachment and then change to the dough hook.
• Add the flour, a little at a time, until the dough is smooth and comes away from the sides of the bowl, about 2 to 4 minutes.
• Turn the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a dry cloth or plastic wrap.
• Let rise in a draft free spot until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Once the dough has risen, lift it out and cut into 8 equal balls.
• Shape into flat 5-inch rounds for buns, or 6-inch oblongs for a hero- or hoagie-style rolls.
• Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet and cover with a dry cloth.
• Let rise in a draft free spot for 30 to 45 minutes.
• Gently glaze the buns with the egg and sprinkle with the sesame seeds, if desired.
• Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown.
• Transfer to a cooling rack until ready to use.

PANINI BREAD RECIPE: NO-KNEAD & READY IN 1-HOUR!

Steps:

• Mix well water, yeast, and sugar in a jug or in a bowl and let it rest until foamy (about 5 minutes).
• Combine flour and salt in a large bowl.
• In the meanwhile, preheat the oven to 250F and turn it off.
• Add the liquid to the dry ingredients, add olive oil, and mix with a spoon or a spatula to incorporate the flour*. Mix well until no dry flour remains, but do not overmix.
• Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel or with cling film, then let rest in the warm oven for 30 minutes*.
• Take the dough out and preheat the oven to 440F° (forced fan).
• Gently scrape the edge of the bowl and pour the dough on a floured working surface. The dough is fluffy and a bit bubbly now, you don't want to deflate it.
• Dust the dough with flour and cut it into 10 portions as shown in the pictures above*.
• Gently roll out each portion, and keep dusting hands and surface with some flour if needed.
• Place each portion of dough (panino) on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
• Bake for about 20 minutes. If you have a conventional oven (without a fan), just bake for 5 minutes longer until golden and crusty.
• Enjoy while they're still warm if possible, they're delicious!

SICILIAN BREAD

Steps:

• For the pre-ferment:.
• Stir together the flours, salt, and yeast in a large bowl or the bowl of an electric stand mixer.
• Add 3/4 cup water, stirring until everything comes together and makes a coarse ball (you can mix it with the paddle attachment -- I think it is easier to do it by hand). Adjust the flour or water as needed; the dough shouldn't be too sticky or stiff.
• Flour your work surface and transfer the dough. Knead for 4-6 minutes (or mix with the dough hook for 4 minutes), or until the dough is soft and pliable, "tacky but not sticky.".
• Transfer the dough to a lightly-oiled bowl and roll it around to coat with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and ferment at room temperature for one hour, or until it swells to 1 1/2 times its original size.
• Remove the dough from the bowl, knead lightly to degas, and return it to the bowl, covered with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to three days or freeze in an air-tight plastic bag for up to three months.
• Bread:.
• Remove the pre-ferment from the icebox and cut into 10 small pieces (I use kitchen shears). Let it sit an hour, covered with plastic wrap, to take off the chill.
• Stir together the bread flour, semolina flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl or bowl of an electric stand mixer. Add the pre-ferment pieces, oil, honey, and 1 1/4 cups water. Stir until the dough forms a ball, or use the paddle attachment at low speed. Add water in dribbles as necessary to achieve a soft and pliable dough.
• Lightly flour your work surface and knead your dough (or use a dough hook at low speed), adding flour as needed to achieve a soft but not sticky dough, for about 10 minutes. Form the dough into a ball, lightly oil a large bowl, and roll the dough around in the bowl to coat with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
• At this point I refrigerate the dough overnight. Mr. Reinhart, instead, ferments the dough at room temperature for 2 hours or until it doubles, divides the dough gently in three pieces, shapes the dough (see below), taking care not to degas it too much, places the dough on a baking pan (or pans) lined with parchment, sprinkles with sesame seeds (see below), covers with plastic wrap, and refrigerates overnight. As explained in the preamble, in my hands the dough over-rose in the refrigerator, lost its shape, and wouldn't rise in the oven. And thus I divide, shape and bake the loaves the next day as explained below. It gives me more control of the proofing process.
• The next morning take the dough from the refrigerator (it will have grown) and divide it gently into 3 pieces. Gently shape as you wish, taking care to degas as little as possible. To achieve the S shape shown in the photograph, extend each dough piece to about 24 inches. Working from each end simultaneously, coil the dough (in opposite directions) towards the center. Place the shaped doughs on parchment-lined pans, mist with water, sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired, mist with vegetable oil spray, and cover with plastic wrap. Proof the dough for an hour or two; it is ready for the oven when it stays dimpled when poked. The loaves should be about twice as large as when first shaped, but DON'T let them over-rise.
• Preheat the oven to 500°F (my oven is too rickety to get that hot; I have to use the convection option). Uncover the doughs and place in the oven; Pour 1 cup of water in the steam pan. Mr. Reinhart also sprays the oven walls with water three times at 30 second intervals, and then reduces the heat to 450°F.
• Bake for about 15 minutes and then rotate the pans 180 degrees. Gently separate the loaves if they are touching. Continue baking for 10-15 minutes to achieve a rich golden brown. The internal temperature of the bread should be about 200-205°F.
• Transfer the loaves to a cooling rack and cool for at least 45 minutes.
• To freeze, when cooled, wrap each loaf in a freezer bag and close with a wire twist.