Durum Semolina Hydration Guide

How Durum Semolina behaves at each hydration

Durum semolina is milled from hard amber durum wheat (Triticum durum) — the same grain used in pasta. Coarser grind than bread flour, yellow color from high carotenoid content, and slightly higher absorption (2% above bread flour baseline). Protein structure produces firm, chewy crumb with distinctive nutty flavor. Traditional in Sicilian-style sourdough (pane siciliano, pane di Altamura DOP). Use at 20-40% in blends for hearth loaves with golden color and dense chewy texture. Caputo, Bob's Red Mill, and Italian imports (Molino Grassi) are references.

Substituting Durum Semolina for bread flour

Absorption multiplier: 1.020×. When substituting for bread flour, add about 2% more water. For example: a 75% bread-flour recipe becomes 77% when using 100% Durum Semolina.

The calculator below is pre-set to 69%. Adjust the slider to match your target. Salt and levain percentages are the flour-independent defaults (2.0% and 20%).

Technique at target hydration

Long autolyse (60+ min) — durum is slow to hydrate fully. Firm dough: 68-72% hydration max. Use coil folds rather than stretch-and-folds. Shape with wet hands. Excellent for pan di Altamura-style boule shaping.

Calculator pre-set to 69%