You may have heard of Altamura for the first time in the early 2000s, when a local baker brought the local McDonald's to a close without much effort at all. "My shop was always full, while the ones were always empty," says Luca Di Gesù – still behind the counter of his historic bakery at 85 years old, delighting tourists and locals with fragrant pieces of his irresistible focaccia. From Di Gesù’s story of success, the Apulian director Nico Cirasola created a film called “Focaccia Blues” (even if there’s nothing sad about a slice of focaccia).
Toasted, yellow crumbs with a crunchy crust that stays soft for days, dense yet easy to chew: these are the characteristics of the Pane di Altamura. This is a bread recipe that’s unique to the Puglia region and about 90 bakeries have made it their life’s mission to perfect it.
The bread of Altamura
Altamura bread has different shapes and sizes. There is the most common one, called u sckuanète in the local dialect. This term refers to the traditional, overlapping form of the bread that is kneaded and sent for baking in the city's communal ovens. It is low, flattened, or with more of a rise to it. The bread features a sort of rounded brioche shape on top. Then there is u puène muèdde: a soft bread made in ancient times for the farmers and shepherds in the city who consumed it on their long voyages outside of Altamura’s walls. It was made with durum wheat flour. Today, they use regrinded semolina flour. Another bread recipe is u peccelatidde. Prepared and eaten while waiting for the sckuanète to cook. U puène a 'mmenza stufe, or “stove bread” in English, was intended for the rich families of the city. Made on special occasions, it was kneaded first with quality durum wheat. U cuappidde de prèvete, “bread with a priest's hat”, was a bread on the crumbly side, made with pieces of dough given to the bakers by the housewives as compensation for the baking their own bread. Today, this term is also used to indicate bread with more rise (i.e. the bread with the brioche-style top).
The bread of Altamura D.O.P.
Altamura bread has a very strong identity. First of all, the shape is unmistakable. It’s similar to a wide-brimmed hat. Then there is the crumb texture: yellow, intense, full-bodied and fragrant. Once dry, it offers the ideal base for preparing a tasty cialledde, a typical dish made with onions, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers or casorelli, oregano, oil and bread (naturally). Then came the DOP, and its specifications, sanctioned by regulation no. 1291 of 18/07/2003 by the Italian government. Only ten local bakeries prepare it following this specific recipe. To prepare Pane di Altamura DOP, the sourdough needs to rise a minimum of three times to increase the volume of the fermented dough. To do this, water and durum wheat semolina flour are added. For every 100 kg of semolina flour to bake, you need 20 kg of natural yeast, 2 kg of sea salt and 60 liters of water at a temperature of 65°F. You have to knead the dough for 20 minutes with the dough hooks of an electric mixer. The water used must be potable and distributed throughout the territory according to governmental regulations. After this process, cover the dough with a cotton cloth so the bread will rise evenly. Resting time: 90 minutes. Then proceed with the first “weighing and the shaping,” done by hand. This is followed by another 30-minute rest period and another hand-molding with another 15-minute rest afterward. The instructions are even posted on Italy’s DOP website: "Before being baked, the loaf is turned upside down and, with a light pressure of the hand exerted on one side, insert in the oven". If your oven is wood-fired, it must be fed only with oak tree branches or logs. The temperature must reach 485°F. The first part of the cooking is done in an open oven. After 15 minutes, the door of the oven is closed and the bread is baked for another 45 minutes. At the end of the baking process, the oven door is kept open for another five minutes: this allows the steam to escape so the crust will dry out for a crunchier crust. At this point, the loaves are baked and placed on wooden planks. In the historic ovens of Altamura, those dating back to the early twentieth century, it is possible to bake a large number of bread loaves. In the Petronella Bakery 1966, up to 250 kg of Altamura loaves are baked. And in the historic Panificio di Gesù, they bake up to 500 kg!
The Slow Food Presidium of Alta Murgia Bread
At the beginning of the 2000s, Slow Food established the Presidium of Traditional Alta Murgia Bread. This move was strongly supported by the previous trustee, Giuseppe Incampo, founder Giuseppe Colamonaco, and Onofrio Pepe, the President of the association, Amici del fungo cardoncello (or “Friends of the Cardoncello Mushroom” in English). This association and the Presidium are the past and present guardians of many other regulations regarding Altamura Bread. There are two members of the Presidium: i Fratelli di Gesù and La Panetta di Carlo Picerno. "It is called Alta Murgia Bread because it refers to a specific geographical area," explains Nicola Curci, trustee of the area’s Slow Food Convivium. "The two disciplines differ in a few details, but both represent a guarantee of quality.” The main difference between the different recipe instructions lies in the restrictions on where the wheat production areas: they must always be Apulian and a part of the Slow Food movement. At the moment, that means only using raw materials from Altamura, Gravina, Poggiorsini, Minervino, and Spinazzola. However, these are two distinct products so ask your local retailer which is which.
How to avoid getting “bread-scammed”
Altamura is becoming more and more frequented by tourists looking for authentic gastronomic experiences. Some manufacturers are trying to ride the trend, inflating prices a bit. So it's good to follow some advice. Nicola Curci advises us to "observe the brands that guarantee the preparation through a precise specification.” So keep an eye on the Slow Food brand and the DOP (click on the link to find all the points of sale that follow the method guaranteed by governmental recognition). It should also be remembered that the average price of Pane di Altamura bread does not fall below 4-4.5 euros per kilo.
Browse the Photo Gallery for the best Altamura bakeries!
Text by Stefania Leo
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