TWD & BWJ: Semolina Bread

I'm a day late with this week's recipe, Semolina Bread. I didn't anticipate how difficult it would be to find semolina flour and I left it to the last minute. Three of the four major grocery chains did not have it, but there is a new Italian market in town and this was the perfect excuse to check it out.  I also convinced my husband to come with me and enjoy an espresso.

This is a really, really easy recipe, but very time consuming; there are three (count 'em) rises, each two hours.  I benefited from the experience of other TWD/BWJ bloggers. There were comments about the saltiness of the bread, so I cut the amount of salt in half. Some bakers also said that the bread didn't rise very high, despite the long rising time. So, I didn't worry too much when my loaf looked like a fat pancake. Fortunately, the bread rose beautifully in the oven even though one would never call it a thick loaf. 

This recipe is a keeper. Now, that I have the semolina flour, the other ingredients -- flour, olive oil, yeast, salt -- are easy to find. The finished bread is chewy and delicious.  Anna and Renee are hosting this week's recipe. You will be able to find this wonderful recipe on their blogs.