Pane Carasau recipe

Pane Carasau is one of Sardinia’s most traditional specialties. When shepherds used to spend several months in the mountains, they needed bread that wouldn’t go mouldy. So they developed this paper-thin bread specialty, which remains one of the island’s greatest delicacies to this day.

Today, Pane Carasau is of course produced on a large scale, but you can still find small factories in Sardinia. The only true Pane Carasau is still made by hand. It takes hours to make and you have to know exactly how to do it.

>>> Here you can find bread specialties from Sardinia in our store!

Pergamena di Pane – bread with a touch of magic

The dough consists of semolina – the typical Italian, coarsely ground wheat flour, yeast and water. Rolled out with a thin rolling pin, the result is a literally wafer-thin pizza flatbread.   It is as thin as paper, a sheet of parchment. This is where the nicknames “Pergamena di Pane” or “Carte Musica” (sheet of music) come from.

The next step in the process leaves onlookers open-mouthed in amazement. The flatbreads, which are only a few millimetres thick, are baked for around 30 seconds in a very hot wood-fired oven, directly on the stone. Then the magic happens.

When you see it for the first time, you can’t help but be amazed, because the flatbread suddenly inflates like a balloon. This balloon comes out of the oven immediately and is cut open straight away. Cutting it open is quite a tricky business, as the hot steam burns your fingers. If it works, the result is two super-thin flat cakes.

In the next step – called “carasadura” – the round loaves go through another round in the oven. They are toasted and get their crispy crunch and typical, spicy taste.

Pane Carasau, Guttiau or Fratau?

In addition to Pane Carasau, there is also Pane Guttiau and Pane Fratau. Confusing? Carasau means the plain version. Guttiau means drizzled with olive oil and Fratau is the soft, topped version. A recipe for guttiau will follow shortly.

Pane Carasau – How to eat?

In Sardinia, pane carasau is briefly warmed in the oven, drizzled with a little olive oil and sprinkled with a pinch of salt. Alternatively, the Sardinians add grated pecorino to the bread and let the cheese melt in the oven. Be sure to try this Sardinian version of cheese bread!