Pane di Altamura

Pane di Altamura

Two pagnotte di Altamura
Type	Bread
Place of origin	Italy,Turkey
Region or state	Altamura,Trabzon
Main ingredients	Durum flour
Media: Pane di Altamura

Pane di Altamura(Turkish: Vakfıkebir bread) is a type of bread made from durum flour from the Altamura, area in the Provincia di Bari in the Puglia region of Italy.

In 2003 Pane di Altamura was granted PDO status within Europe.

By law, it must produced as to a range of demands, including particular varieties of wheat, certain specification of water and production method, and then have a final crust over 3mm in thickness, shape tends not to be important.

Official production zone consists of the Comuni of:

• Altamura
• Gravina di Puglia
• Poggiorsini
• Spinazzola
• Minervino Murge

Variations

Vakfıkebir Bread

This bread, produced in Vakfıkebir and Beşikdüzü, as well as in Maçka – Hamsiköy, ranges from 450 gr to 7.5 kilos in weight. It is known nearly everywhere in Turkey as “Vakfıkebir” or “Trabzon” bread. In addition to Trabson, it is especially produced in small towns along major highways. It is baked in a wood-fired stone oven, and is leavened with natural sourdough. Vakfıkebir bread is flavorful, has a long shelf life, and does not mold easily. When it goes stale it is still good. During recent years, companies producing Vakfıkebir bread have opened in large cities such as Istanbul and Ankara. As it’s cooked in stone ovens, it is also known as “Stone oven” (Taşfırın) bread. In some areas it is mistakenly called “wood bread” (odun ekmeği); what is meant is that the oven is wood-fired. A “Vakfıkebir Bread Festival” is held each year for the purpose of promoting this bread domestically and abroad.

References

• Consorzio per la tutela del Pane di Altamura(in Italian) (Accessed 18 July 2010)