Think Sicily and images of sun, beach, summer and semolina come to mind. Throw in a bit of rye from Central Europe’s hinterlands and you have a bread that many centuries ago, Roman Legions might have created to serve to Germanic tribes for a pre-battle “we humbly request your surrender dinner.” Oh, sorry, the Tea Party crisis has me fondly remembering less violent times. Luckily I’m just making bread here.

This Sicilian 100% levain with semolina was getting injected with some powerful rye levain, which lately has become my stock levain.

I made one dough, and split them to add fennel and golden raisin for my sun dial bread, and topped the other with the traditional sesame seed topping.