Puccia recipe: Soft and Fragrant Street Food from Puglia

The "Puccia Salentina" is an authentic regional street food from Puglia, known for its softness and fragrance. This versatile bread is perfect for being filled in various delicious ways, offering your customers a taste of the authentic Puglian flavours. Its origins date back to Roman times when it was called "buccellatum," meaning "bite-sized." Roman legionaries used to carry it as it was easy to transport and store.

The modern form of "Puccia" is dated back in the 1970s, thanks to the creativity of pastry chef Giovanni Caccetta, who was inspired by reusing excess bread dough, a technique passed down by his aunties.

With the advanced technologies of the S series oven, you can bake the puccia evenly, using Dual-Power and Delta-Power functions to get the precise amount of heat. In addition, the steamer ensures the ideal level of moisture for a puccia with a crispy crust and soft crumb.

In this recipe, you can find three different summery fillings, perfectly complementing this versatile and delicious bread.

Puccia Recipe:

INGREDIENTS for 60 puccias (100 g each)

For the Semolina Biga:

540 g durum wheat milled semolina
360 g water
5.4 g fresh yeast

For the Final Dough:

3000 g durum wheat milled semolina
300 g biga
1980 g water
60 g Extra Virgin Olive Oil
60 g salt
3 g malted cereal flour
4.5 g fresh yeast

Heat: S series Multibake, 300 °C, 70% top, 30% deck, 3 minutes and 10 seconds.

Filling (for 20 Puccia each):

Puccia with tomatoes, stracciatella, and Cantabrian Anchovies:

200 g red Cherry Tomatoes
200 g yellow Cherry Tomatoes
400 g Stracciatella Cheese (best if from Apulia)
150 g Cantabrian anchovies
Basil, Oregano, Mint to taste
Grated lemon zest to taste
Extra Virgin Olive Oil and salt to taste

Puccia with Robiola Cheese, courgettes, and pesto:

250 g fresh Robiola cheese
400 g Oven-grilled courgettes
100 g basil pesto
200 g Leccino olives
Majorana, oregano, mint to taste
Extra Virgin Olive Oil and salt to taste

Puccia with fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, and smoked Provola:

350 g salad tomatoes
500 g mixed mushrooms cooked in olive oil, parsley and garlic
200 g smoked Provola cheese
100 g black olive paté
Basil, oregano to taste
Extra Virgin Olive Oil and salt to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

How to make the puccia:

For the Semolina biga:

1. Mix the milled semolina, water, and yeast in the mixer for about 3 minutes. The mixture should be well combined but without forming gluten.
2. Place the mixture in a suitable container and leave it at room temperature for about 45 minutes (25°C).
3. After this time, refrigerate it at 4 °C for 12 hours.

For the final dough:

1. Put all the ingredients, except for salt, oil, and 1/4 of the water, in the mixer.
2. Mix in first speed for about 10 minutes, adding the salt at around the 8th minute and gradually pouring the remaining quarter of water.
3. Switch to second speed for another 6-8 minutes, drizzle in the olive oil, and stop the mixer once the gluten is fully formed. The final dough temperature should be between 21 °C and 23 °C.
4. Place the dough in a container and let it rest for ca. 60 minutes at room temperature (25 °C).
5. Once rested, divide the dough into 100 g balls.
6. Place the balls in suitable trays and let them rise at room temperature for about 90 minutes or until doubled in volume.
7. Once risen, flatten the balls by hand uniformly to obtain a diameter of about 8cm. Place them on a baking tray and brush with extra virgin olive oil.

Baking:

1. Set the S series oven at 300 °C, 70% top, and 30% deck.
2. Place the puccias in the oven and activate the steamer.
3. Bake for 3 minutes and 10 seconds.
4. Once baked, the Puccia is ready to be filled.

This regional street food is incredibly versatile and will bring the authentic taste of Puglia to your customers.