Pagnotta del Dittaino

A round durum-wheat sourdough loaf produced in the Dittaino valley municipalities of the Provinces of Enna and Catania, Sicily. The specification requires flour milled from named durum-wheat varieties grown within the delimited area, the use of natural leaven, and immediate packaging within that same area. The crumb is pale yellow, elastic, fine-grained, compact and uniform.

About this designation

Pagnotta del Dittaino received PDO protection on 7 December 2006 under file number PDO-IT-0577 (eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000013770). The designation covers bread released for consumption as a round loaf weighing between 500 and 1 100 g or as a sliced half loaf. The crust is between 3 and 4 mm thick and medium hard. The crumb is pale yellow, elastic, fine-grained, compact and uniform, with a moisture content of no more than 38 %. The bread maintains its organoleptic properties for five days from the date of production. The specification requires durum-wheat flour of the varieties Simeto, Duilio, Arcangelo, Mongibello, Ciccio and Colosseo grown within the production area, which must account for at least 70 % of the total flour used. The remaining 30 % must be durum wheat of a defined list of alternative varieties also grown within the production area. All durum wheat must be grown from certified seed and meet stated minimum quality thresholds for electrolytic weight, protein content, moisture content, gluten and yellow index. Natural leaven is mandatory; the starter is renewed by mixing one part starter with two parts flour and one part water, and the resulting leaven must ripen for at least five hours before use. Cultivation, harvest, production and packing must all take place within the delimited area, which comprises fourteen named municipalities in the Province of Enna and three named municipalities in the Province of Catania. Packing must be in micropore plastic film or in a modified atmosphere. The label must display the Pagnotta del Dittaino logo as described in the specification.

Source: The register document this entry was written from · retrieved August 26, 2026

Distinctive facts

• Registered as a PDO on 7 December 2006 under file number PDO-IT-0577, eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000013770.
• At least 70 % of the flour must come from six named durum-wheat varieties — Simeto, Duilio, Arcangelo, Mongibello, Ciccio and Colosseo — grown within the production area.
• The specification permits no common wheat flour; the entire flour content must be durum wheat from named varieties grown in the delimited area.
• The natural leaven must ripen for at least five hours before being added to the bread mixture.

Tasting notes

Sicilian rustic round bread from Dittaino valley (Enna province), 100% durum wheat semolina (Italian wheat varieties Simeto, Duilio, Iride, Ciccio etc.). Golden-brown thick crust, dense yellow crumb, full wheat flavor with characteristic semolina aroma, long-keeping (3-4 days fresh).

HoReCa use

Bread service for Sicilian cuisine, especially with caponata and Sicilian salumi; sliced for bruschetta; toasted with EVOO and tomato; in pane cunzato.

Packaging

• whole-loaf-500g
• whole-loaf-1kg
• half-loaf-vacuum-500g