Carta Di Musica Recipe - Gemma’s Bigger Bolder Baking (2024)

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Hi Bold Bakers!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE: Carta Di Musica is a crispy, delicate flatbread baked to golden brown perfection. Brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with flaky sea salt and herbs, it’s as delightful as a cracker or crouton. The dough is simple to make, and the flatbread bakes in minutes.

Carta di Musica is addictively crunchy, and because it’s cooked at high heat, the surface puffs up and ripples. It’s gorgeous as well as delicious. Break it up and serve with cheese and dip, charcuterie, or veggies–it will be your new favorite snack!

If you love this recipe, you won’t want to miss out on these equally delicious choices: Flatbread Recipe with Only 3 Ingredients, Homemade Olive Oil Matzah Crackers, Traditional Indian Roti, 3-Ingredient Gluten Free Flatbread, and Whole Wheat Tortillas!

Table of Contents

• What is Carta Di Musica?
• Tools You Need
• Key Ingredients and Why
• How to Make Carta di Musica
• Can I Make Carta di Musica in Advance?
• How to Store Carta di Musica
• FAQs
• Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips
• More Cracker and Flatbread Recipes

What is Carta di Musica?

• Carta di Musica is Italian for “sheet music,” and this flatbread is as delicate and thin as a crisp, fresh sheet of paper. It’s a traditional food on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia and was carried by shepherds because it lasted for the long days and nights they spent in the hills.
• It’s still popular today in Sardinia and other parts of the world because its crunchy texture and versatile toasty flavor make it a perfect accompaniment to a variety of foods.

• Baking stone/pizza stone or cast iron skillet or baking sheet
• Stand mixer with a dough hook
• Measuring cups and measuring spoons
• Pastry brush
• Rolling pin
• Tongs
• Wire rack

Key Ingredients and Why

• Semolina flour

  • Made from durum wheat, semolina is yellower in color and coarser texture than all-purpose flour.
  • Semolina flour has a high protein content (13%), giving this flatbread its sturdy texture.
  • It has a nutty, earthy taste, and is widely used in Italy for pasta.

• All-purpose flour

  • The lower-protein content of all-purpose flour makes the flatbread dough easier to work with and gives the flatbread a bit of tenderness.
  • All-purpose flour helps mellow the flavor, taking down the more intense taste of the semolina flour.

• Rosemary

  • Rosemary a Mediterranean herb commonly used in Carta di Musica.
  • In this recipe, you work rosemary into the dough to add a fragrant, piney, earthy note to the flatbread.

• Salt

  • A pinch of flaky sea salt accents the flavor and gives a pleasant crunch.

• Olive oil

  • The satisfyingly rich, fruity taste of olive oil is a must in this Mediterranean recipe.
  • Brush the dough with olive oil before cooking at high heat. It will give the flatbread a deep golden brown color and a shatteringly crisp texture.

How to Make Carta di Musica

1. Prep

Put the baking stone in the oven and preheat.

2. Make the Dough

   • Combine flours, salt, and rosemary in a large mixing bowl.
   • Using a stand mixer with a dough hook, add water to the mixture and knead until smooth, about 9 minutes.
   • Divide the dough into 12 pieces, and rest it in a covered bowl for 15 minutes.
   • Roll each piece out into a thin 8-inch circle, brush with olive oil, and sprinkle with sea salt.

3. Cook the Flatbread

   • Bake the dough directly on the baking stone for 4 minutes, until bubbly.
   • Using tongs, flip and cook on the other side for another 2 minutes.
   • Cool on a wire rack.

Can I Make Carta di Musica in Advance?

Carta di Musica is at its crispy best the day it’s made.

How to Store Carta di Musica

Keep the crackers in an airtight container at room temperature for a week.

FAQs

What can I use if I don’t have a baking stone?

You can use a sheet pan or a large cast iron skillet.

What can I use instead of semolina flour?

• For making the dough in recipes like this one, the best substitute for semolina is bread flour or whole wheat flour because of the high protein content.
• For dusting purposes, corn meal has the most similar consistency.

Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips

• Brush your workspace with olive oil before working with the dough to prevent the dough from sticking.
• Sprinkle other spices such as sesame seeds, fennel seeds, basil, etc. on top for added flavor.
• Let the dough rest for at least 15 minutes before rolling it out.
• If you want smaller crackers, you can break them once they’re baked and cooled.
• Serve this cracker on a cheeseboard or with some dips like hummus and pesto.

More Cracker and Flatbread Recipes

• Flatbread Recipe with Only 3 Ingredients
• Homemade Olive Oil Matzah Crackers
• Traditional Indian Roti
• 3-Ingredient Gluten Free Flatbread
• Whole Wheat Tortillas

Ingredients

Instructions