Mine to Bear
Apr. 5th, 2021 02:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
madbakerBonus Resolution Recipe brought to you by holiday baking: Crostello.
This is apparently a fading traditional Easter bread made in Città di Castello. I suspect it's 18th century, but who knows. The author said the local Slow Fud historian had tried to link it to "the ancient Roman crostacea or crostulum" but with no success.
Anyway, this is a sourdough/lardo bread, so right in my wheelhouse. I (obviously) used house-made lardo.
bowl 1: 80g sourdough starte + 40 g water + 40 g bread flour
bowl 2: 80 g high-gluten flour + 1/4 ts[ dry active yeast + 80 g water (I used whey from the curvy upstairs neighbor's latest batch of cheese)
Mix, cover each bowl with a plate, leave for a few hours to rise until very bubbly.
400 g bread flour
1 good pinch saffron threads
80 ml white wine (or warm milk) (I used aforementioned whey)
2 eggses
80 g lardo, chopped
1/2 Tbsp salt
1/2 - 1 tsp black pepper
Put the saffron in the wine and rub it between your fingers to color the wine. Run the fat through whatever small fud processor you have so that it becomes a creamy mass with discernable bits. Mix the two bowls of pre-ferment and eggses in a standing mixer with a dough hook and mix until combined. Add half the flour with the machine running with the wine and saffron. Add the fat and leave the machine run until combined. Mix the salt and pepper with the remaining flour and add to the dough. Mix until combined and then put out onto a counter and knead for five minutes. It should be easy to knead and quickly feel smooth and elastic. Put this in a covered container and refrigerate overnight for the slow bulk rise.
The next day pull your dough out into a square. Fold the upper corners in slightly and bring the top edge down halfway pushing it down firmly. Tuck the bottom corners up and roll the dough over so that the seam is down. Rock it back and forth a couple times for good measure. Place the log onto a piece of parchment paper. With your bread stone in place, put the dough loaf into the oven.
Take a shallow bowl and pour a cup of boiling water in it. Place the bowl of water in the lower part of the oven so that the steam will warm the oven and keep the dough moist. After about two and a half hours it should double in size and give a bit when you press on it.
Remove the dough from the oven and heat the oven to 250 C (475 F). Let it keep heating for 20 minutes even if it arrives at the temperature before that. Prepare four ice cubes (unless you have some other means of doing this), and prepare to slide your dough (on the parchment) into the oven. Place the bread on the stone, throw the cubes into the bottom of the oven, close the door and turn the heat down to 220 C (425 F). After 20 minutes, turn the bread, tent it with a piece of foil and turn the heat down to 180 C (350 F) for another 20 minutes.
Let cool completely on a rack. Yes, I know. It will be very tempting, but it's best not to cut into it as the quality of the crumb depends on it cooling completely. Just let go.
Serve with high quality salumi, cheese, and boiled eggses the morning of Easter - or whenever you want.
What worked: Despite the slightly broken Engrish, this wasn't that hard to follow. It was fine as an Easter brunch with (house-made) Bressane saveloy (which also contains saffron) and duck proscuitto, hard-boiled eggses, and a couple different cheeses. I sprayed the top with saffron spray before baking for even more color.
What didn't: Eh, it wasn't that exciting.
Will I make it again? Probably not. Sorry, local tradition.
This is apparently a fading traditional Easter bread made in Città di Castello. I suspect it's 18th century, but who knows. The author said the local Slow Fud historian had tried to link it to "the ancient Roman crostacea or crostulum" but with no success.
Anyway, this is a sourdough/lardo bread, so right in my wheelhouse. I (obviously) used house-made lardo.
bowl 1: 80g sourdough starte + 40 g water + 40 g bread flour
bowl 2: 80 g high-gluten flour + 1/4 ts[ dry active yeast + 80 g water (I used whey from the curvy upstairs neighbor's latest batch of cheese)
Mix, cover each bowl with a plate, leave for a few hours to rise until very bubbly.
400 g bread flour
1 good pinch saffron threads
80 ml white wine (or warm milk) (I used aforementioned whey)
2 eggses
80 g lardo, chopped
1/2 Tbsp salt
1/2 - 1 tsp black pepper
Put the saffron in the wine and rub it between your fingers to color the wine. Run the fat through whatever small fud processor you have so that it becomes a creamy mass with discernable bits. Mix the two bowls of pre-ferment and eggses in a standing mixer with a dough hook and mix until combined. Add half the flour with the machine running with the wine and saffron. Add the fat and leave the machine run until combined. Mix the salt and pepper with the remaining flour and add to the dough. Mix until combined and then put out onto a counter and knead for five minutes. It should be easy to knead and quickly feel smooth and elastic. Put this in a covered container and refrigerate overnight for the slow bulk rise.
The next day pull your dough out into a square. Fold the upper corners in slightly and bring the top edge down halfway pushing it down firmly. Tuck the bottom corners up and roll the dough over so that the seam is down. Rock it back and forth a couple times for good measure. Place the log onto a piece of parchment paper. With your bread stone in place, put the dough loaf into the oven.
Take a shallow bowl and pour a cup of boiling water in it. Place the bowl of water in the lower part of the oven so that the steam will warm the oven and keep the dough moist. After about two and a half hours it should double in size and give a bit when you press on it.
Remove the dough from the oven and heat the oven to 250 C (475 F). Let it keep heating for 20 minutes even if it arrives at the temperature before that. Prepare four ice cubes (unless you have some other means of doing this), and prepare to slide your dough (on the parchment) into the oven. Place the bread on the stone, throw the cubes into the bottom of the oven, close the door and turn the heat down to 220 C (425 F). After 20 minutes, turn the bread, tent it with a piece of foil and turn the heat down to 180 C (350 F) for another 20 minutes.
Let cool completely on a rack. Yes, I know. It will be very tempting, but it's best not to cut into it as the quality of the crumb depends on it cooling completely. Just let go.
Serve with high quality salumi, cheese, and boiled eggses the morning of Easter - or whenever you want.
What worked: Despite the slightly broken Engrish, this wasn't that hard to follow. It was fine as an Easter brunch with (house-made) Bressane saveloy (which also contains saffron) and duck proscuitto, hard-boiled eggses, and a couple different cheeses. I sprayed the top with saffron spray before baking for even more color.
What didn't: Eh, it wasn't that exciting.
Will I make it again? Probably not. Sorry, local tradition.
