This recipe is from Shipton Mill's "Discover Italian Baking" Day.

The word panino [pa'ni:no] is Italian for "small bread roll"; its plural form is panini. Panino is also used as the word for a sandwich made from bread other than sliced bread, (which the Italians call it a tramezzino or porco). Panini are commonly served warm after having been pressed in grilling machines called either panini presses or simply panini machines.

Given their use in grilled sandwiches, Panini are therefore baked to 80% of full bake in the oven. This ensures that when it goes into the traditional Panini press it has 20% of baking time left and does not become overdone in the grill. The timings here are for an 80% bake so the bread will come out of the oven much paler than ciabatta bread for example. Should you want a fully baked Panini straight from the oven, increase the baking times shown here by 20%.

You will need:

460g Ciabatta Flour

110g Semolina

400g Water

10g Olive oil

10g Salt

10g Yeast

1000g Total

Method (by hand):

1. Heat your oven to 200-210ºC.

2. Weigh your water out into a mixing bowl.

3. Add the olive oil and yeast and mix together.

4. Add the flour and semolina and work the ingredients together until you get a smooth dough (it should not be sticky).

5. Add the salt and knead until incorporated.

6. Dust a baking tray with semolina or flour and gently turn your dough out onto the tray.

7. Rest for 40-45min.

8. Fold the dough to knock back and shape into a rectangular shape.

9. Rest for 30-35min.

10. Starting at one end, cut into panini shaped loaves.

11. Dust your baking tray with semolina or line with silicone paper (Baking parchment).

12. Gently place your loaves onto the tray.

13. Dust the tops with semolina.

14. Rest for 30-40min.

15. Place into the oven for 20min.

16. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. (As noted at the start of the recipe, they should still be pale in colour when you remove them unless you have chosen to extend the baking time.