The process of making Sardinian pane carasau is similarly hypnotic to pitta: a disc of durum wheat dough is baked on a hot surface until it puffs up into an almost-ball. The reason for this puffing is the contrast between the rapidly drying surface of the dough and the evaporating water within the dough. The water turns into steam, causing the centre to balloon and the two layers to separate, creating a pocket and making the whole thing look a bit like an inflated whoopee cushion.
In order to make pane carasau, which in Sardinia is a domestic, artisan and industrial art, the puffed-up dough is swiftly separated into two thin discs with a sharp knife, then the discs are returned – possibly folded in half or quarters – to the oven to dry and toast for a second time according to the maker’s taste. Fortunately for us, there are hundreds of makers and the whole point of pane carasau, also known as carta di musica (music paper bread), is that it is brilliantly transportable and enduring: it lasts and lasts, which is why it’s one of my favourite things to have in the cupboard.
