Pane Toscano (Saltless Tuscan Bread)

Tuscan bread is famously unsalted, a tradition that may have started when medieval salt taxes that made salt expensive in central Italy. There are other interesting theories as to the origins of this saltless bread, as well, which are worth a quick Google search! The result is a plain, nutty loaf designed to pair with oily, salty, and/or spicy Tuscan foods.

This recipe makes two rustic loaves from one batch of dough:

• some to enjoy fresh with soup
• some to enjoy in leftover soup
• one to dry for pappa al pomodoro

It’s an example of our kitchen philosophy, maximizing effort: cook once, eat well multiple times.

We’ll also give the secret to its deep flavor! A traditional biga preferment. It’s an easy, low-maintenance way to bring sourdough-like complexity to homemade bread.

What is a biga? Why make one?

Like a sourdough starter, a biga is a pre-fermented dough that bakers add to a larger bread dough to build flavor. Unlike a sourdough starter, which are notoriously difficult to create, a biga is simple to make. Another important difference is that bakers use a sourdough starter repeatedly over time, while they make a biga for a single use.

Another pre-fermented dough type is a poolish. A biga and a poolish are more similar, but a biga has a lower hydration percentage. Because of a biga’s lowered hydration, breads made with biga tend to create stronger gluten strands, producing a firmer bread with a tougher crust. This is ideal for pane Toscano, as one of its major uses is as a thickening agent in soup.

Adding a biga to a dough also improves the shelf life of a loaf. The acidity and improved gluten strength added by the pre-fermentation prevents a loaf from going stale quickly by reducing starch retrogradation and trapping water in the crumb longer. A bread made without fermentation is best fresh. However, a loaf made with a biga is good for 2-3 days, given proper storage.

Why this recipe makes two loaves

Pane Toscano is a labor of love. Start the day before by preparing the biga. Then kneading, rising, shaping, rising again, and baking. While we believe baking fresh bread is a delightful way to spend the day, we also believe that anything that requires this much effort should have a bit more payoff. And so, we make two loaves at once.

When it is fresh, serve the bread with minestrone alla Toscana. Rustic bread, fresh from the oven, dipped in herbal homemade soup? Yum!

And if you have leftover minestrone? Add broth, reheat it on the stove, and add some leftover bread to thicken the soup. And there you have it, a classic Ribollita!

Day three, use up the remaining bread in a tasty pappa al pomodoro. Because pane Toscano has a stronger texture, it absorbs broth without dissolving, which is perfect for this classic dish. One day of baking produces enough bread for three days of meals!

Ingredient notes

• Use a higher-protein flour like King Arthur’s all-purpose flour or bread flour. The higher protein content lends itself to a more structured loaf, which is perfect for this recipe.
• Very little yeast used in the biga to allows for a slower ferment. Don’t increase the yeast amount to speed up the process, as the slow speed is key to developing the acidity that will give your loaves their flavor.
• Because a biga is a drier pre-ferment, bakers use very little water. This supports the classic firmness of a Tuscan loaf.
• There is no salt in this recipe. That is intentional. If you would like to add salt, you can, but it would no longer be a classic saltless Tuscan bread.

Now, we’ll go through step-by-step. We will also include photos so you know exactly what you’re trying to achieve in each step!

Step 1: Make the biga

Start by blooming the yeast in warm water, ideally about 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Water that is hotter than that (120 degrees and above) will kill the yeast, and water that is cooler than that (100 degrees and below) will fail to bloom the yeast. You’ll want to do this before adding the flour to ensure that your yeast is still viable. If you skip this step, you might not notice that the yeast has expired. In that case, you’ll have wasted time and flour! Traditionally, the yeast blooms in plain water. However, I am impatient and I like to see results. If you’re the same, add a teaspoon of sugar to help the yeast produce foam a bit more quickly.

When your yeast is nice and foamy on top, it is time to add in the flour. This is a quick process, not at all like kneading a ball of dough! Simply add the flour and give it a good mix with your Danish dough whisk (or a fork!). It’s not a pretty dough. It’s shaggy, dry, and lumpy. Like discussed above, the dry and firm texture of the biga creates a slower fermentation process, which increases the flavor in your loaves. My microwave stays pretty warm inside, so I store my preferments there overnight. Alternatives include inside your oven and inside your dryer. The goal is to keep it warm (but not hot!) to help the yeast do its work. Cover and store overnight.

How to know it is ready

You’ll know the biga is ready when it has approximately tripled in size. It will look moist with large air bubbles. When you pull a piece of the dough, it will form long, thick strands of gluten. It’s smell is unmistakable. A mature biga smells like yeast, with a bit of a sour edge to it. That’s how you know you’ll have some delicious bread!

Step 2: Make the dough

In a large bowl, add warm water and yeast to bloom. Again, if you would like visual confirmation that the yeast is active, add a teaspoon of sugar. Traditionally, the yeast blooms directly in water on top of the biga. You can do it that way! However, I find it safest to do separately, so you don’t waste your preferment with bad yeast.

Once you know your yeast is active, add the flour and the biga. It will look messy, but this really is the fastest and most efficient way to mix the ingredients. When the mixture is as mixed as you can get, turn it out onto a floured work surface to knead.

I won’t lie, because this dough’s gluten is so strong, it is a tough knead. The most direct way to get a smooth, elastic dough is to knead for 15 minutes. However, for us who may skip arm day at the gym, that can be tough. Instead, knead the dough for 7–10 minutes until it comes together but still shows some stretch marks. Then we let it rest at room temperature for 5 minutes. Have a good stretch, then dive in for the remaining 5-8 minutes.

How to know it is ready

At this point, the dough will be smooth and elastic. One way to know that the dough is ready is to poke it. If it regains it’s original shape, it is ready. Another way to check the dough is the windowpane test. If you can take a bit of dough and stretch it until it is see-through, it is ready to rise!

Step 3: First rise

Divide the dough into two approximately even dough balls and shape. Place the dough balls into two bowls, coat them in olive oil, and cover. To help the dough rise appropriately, you can preheat your oven to the lowest temperature possible. After the oven preheats, turn it off and place your bowls in the oven. Let the dough balls rise for 1 hour.

This step is important for a couple reasons! First, allowing the dough to rise creates an airy, soft crumb. Unrisen dough is dense and tough by comparison, which is especially unwise for this dough. Second, the longer this new dough has to interact with the biga, the more flavorful the resulting loaves will be.

How to know it is ready

You’ll know they’re ready when you poke one, and it slowly regains it’s original shape. There is a second rise, so the loaves don’t have to be perfectly airy quite yet.

Step 4: Second rise

You’ll bake the dough after this rise, so shape it beforehand. Our loaves are circular, while traditional loaves are ovular. Regardless of the shape you choose, it is essential to shape at this step. Shaping after this step would punch down the air bubbles gained in this rise.

To shape, turn one dough ball out onto a floured work surface. Pinch opposite ends of the dough ball and pull to the center. Repeat this in a circle around the dough ball until you shape it properly. Flip it over, and place it on a baking sheet. Coat in olive oil, and place it back in the oven for a second rise. This will take another hour.

How to know it is ready

The dough is puffy and has a jiggle when it has proofed.

Step 5: Bake

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, and place an oven-safe and water-safe baking dish on the bottom rack. This dish should be hot when the loaves go in the oven.

Use a lame to cut a tic-tac-toe symbol on top of each loaf. This prevents the loaf from becoming misshapen during baking. It also makes the loaves cute!

When the oven is preheated, pour as much water as you can into the preheated baking dish. This will create steam, which is needed to create a crunchy crust on the loaves. Moving quickly (but safely!), put the loaves in the oven and shut it. Bake for 40-50 minutes. If your oven has hot spots, turn the loaves about halfway through baking.

Pro tip: check the water level when turning your loaves so that the oven stays steamy!

How to know it is ready

Pane Toscano traditionally has a deeper golden brown crust. Additionally, when knocked upon, it sounds hollow.

FAQ

• Yes, this bread can be a bit bland on its own. That’s because it is designed to be eaten with other foods. Try it with salami or prosciutto, some salty cheese, or some spicy soup! Always serve with some good quality olive oil. If you’re wondering how to choose good quality olive oil, see our olive oil guide.
• If your biga doesn’t rise, there are three possible problems: one is that your yeast is expired. If that is the case, replace it. The second possible problem is that your water wasn’t the correct temperature. If you feel this is the case, try it again using a thermometer to ensure proper water temperature. Third, it is possible that the room was too cold. Try blooming the yeast in a warm space.
• Once ready, the biga can be refrigerated for one day. Our rule of thumb for dough proofing is this: one day in the refrigerator = one hour at room temperature. It is possible to create the biga entirely in the refrigerator, but it would take a week or more to do.
• Like other homemade, rustic loaves, this bread does tend to stale quickly. That is part of its charm! Stale bread is a traditional ingredient in pappa al pomodoro and ribollita!
• To prevent staling as much as possible, store the bread with the sliced side down.

In conclusion…

Pane Toscano isn’t just bread, it’s an example of a cuisine built on patience, thrift, and transformation.

With one preferment and one dough, you get three meals and a deeper understanding of how traditional kitchens stretch effort into nourishment.