Throughout my career, I've had the opportunity to work with many types of people from all different walks of life.  Working in the restaurant business means that you're going to spend more time with your "work family" than your real one.  Today I'm paying tribute to all the great Sicilian chefs and bakers that worked side by side with me over the years and allowed me to look inside their culture and see what makes it great.  

I can remember the first time I saw the Mafalda made.  I was convinced that there was no way that bread could not be made like this.  As I watched a long piece of dough being coiled back and forth, all I kept thinking was that it would never keep its shape in the oven.  I mean, "There's nothing holding it together...it's gonna come undone in the oven!"  Now, those of you who don't know the joys of arguing with a Sicilian should take this as a lesson. You're never going to win! Especially being that I was a kid who's parents were right off the boat from Calabria, Italy, there's no way that my neighbors to the south would ever let me win!  And they had every right to!  We're talking about centuries of tradition on that old wooden work bench in front of us.  Eventually, I shut my mouth long enough to learn something.

When I decided to write about the Mafalda, I really wanted to make sure that I respected the Sicilian culture and made this bread in the same manner as it would have been made throughout the years in Sicily.  Even though I've made this bread so many times in my career, I wanted to reach out to my fellow experts and really break this bread down into all it's components to make sure that I was making a product that was authentic and traditional.  If you search for recipes on the web for this type of bread, you will find hundreds of different variations.  Unfortunately, if you put those same recipes in front of a Sicilian baker, they would probably throw them back at you.  Let's start out with the basics...

Sicilian Mafalda bread, or Mafaldine as they are commonly referred to throughout Sicily, are a traditional artisan type bread that have been around for hundreds of years.  The wonderful bread has a light crispy exterior with a soft and airy crumb.  This type of bread has three main characteristics that make it traditional.  I'll break them down here for you.

Semola Rimacinata

The "Mafalda" Shape

Sesame Seeds

1. Semola Rimacinata

Semola Rimacinata is the Italian term for Durum wheat flour.  For centuries, peasants who couldn't afford the higher grade white flours used Durum to make their bread.  Ground Durum wheat is naturally pale yellow in color, making up the first important characteristic of the Mafalda.  Durum wheat is milled to remove the bran and germ from the grain.  The remaining yellow endosperm, Semolina, is then ground into flour which commonly is used to make pasta and in this case, bread.  The bread interior is naturally pale yellow.

2. The Mafalda Shape

  The Mafalda has a very specific and recognizable shape.  I have heard the shape referred to as a "Radiator" or even a "Snake about to strike."  The Mafalda is formed by taking a piece of dough, straightening it into a long dowel, and then zigzagging it into 4 inch sections.  After 4 sections have been created, the end of the dowel that remains is stretched over the top and tucked under the spot in which it all began, holding it all together in place.  I know it sounds complicated (try writing this description!) but it's really not.

3. Sesame Seeds

 The final characteristic of the Mafalda is a good coating of sesame seeds.  After the Mafalda is formed, the dough is misted with water and then the top side is pressed into a mound of sesame seeds that stick to the dough.  The shaped dough is then placed on a baking sheet and allowed to proof, sesame side up, until it is ready to be baked. 

 Mafalda can be found without sesame seeds but traditionally, they are always on.  If you're concerned about seeds for someone with food allergies, feel free to remove them.  The flavor and texture of the final baked bread will not be effected much.

The Formula: Makes 10 Panini

For the Biga (Starter):

600g Semola Rimacinata di Gran Duro, Le 5 Stagioni

360g Water (90 degrees F)

18g  Lievito di Birra, Le 5 Stagioni

For the dough:

1,050g Semola Rimacinata di Gran Duro, Le 5 Stagioni

600g Water (55 degrees F)

20g  Malt

112g  Lard

30g  Sea Salt, Fine

Water for Misting

White Sesame Seeds

Let's Mix!

 In a large bowl, mix water and yeast until foamy.  Add 600g of Semola Rimacinata and begin to mix by hand.

Mix by hand for approximately 8 minutes, until a smooth ball can be formed.

Cover bowl and allow Biga to proof for 2 hours

Add 600g Water, Lard, Malt, and Semola Rimacinata

Begin mixing dough by hand.  Once it starts to come together in a sticky mass, add the salt.

Mix for approximately 10 minutes until a smooth dough is formed

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes.

Remix the dough for 3 to 4 minutes until it feels smooth and elastic.  Cover again with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 2 hours.

After 2 hours, the dough should be doubled in size.  Remove from the bowl and prepare to divide.

Divide Dough into 275g pieces.

    Roll dough pieces into long dowels approximately 30 inches long and 1 inch thick.  I suggest using a piece of tape that's 30 inches long placed on your countertop.  This will ensure that you have the correct thickness and length for each piece.

     Continue to roll out the remaining dough pieces into dowels.  Once they are all rolled out, it's time to shape the Mafalda.

The characteristic shape of the mafalda is like a coil that starts with a 4" section and then comes back in the opposite direction with another 4" section.  This is repeated until there are 4 sections all touching at the sides.

It is important to try and keep the 1" thickness of the dowel when making each section.  Try to keep everything as uniform as possible but you may find a need to stretch the dough a bit if you find you didn't roll the dough piece out 

After you've made the 4 sections, you should be left with a 3 to 4 inch section at the end.  Take this piece and stretch it across the middle on top of all the sections.  Once you get to the end, tuck this piece underneath.

Continue to shape all the remaining dough pieces.  Once all the pieces are formed, use a spray bottle to mist the mafalda with an even layer of water.

Prepare a large bottomed bowl with sesame seeds.  Gently pick up the mafalda, being careful not to distort them, and place the wet side down into the sesame seeds.  Place the mafalda on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

Once the mafalda are coated with sesame seeds and placed on the pan, lightly cover with a kitchen towel and allow to proof in a warm spot of your kitchen for 1 hour.  This is the perfect time to preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

With your oven preheated to 400f, it's time to bake.  Just before placing your mafalda in the oven, use your spray bottle to spray some water onto the oven walls.  This will create steam inside your oven chamber and help develop the outer crust of the bread as it bakes. 

 After spraying the water, immediately place the pan inside the oven and bake for 30 minutes.  They will be golden brown when done and the sesame seeds will have toasted nicely.

Allow the mafalda to completely cool on a wire rack before cutting.