Exploring The Soft History Of Italian Bread

Tonight, we take a calm and cozy journey through the rich tradition of Italian bread—from rustic ciabatta to soft focaccia, and everything in between. Join Benjamin Boster as he softly explores the textures, histories, and baking techniques behind these timeless staples. Happy sleeping!

Transcript

Welcome to the I Can't Sleep Podcast,

Where I help you drift off one fact at a time.

I'm your host,

Benjamin Boster.

If you enjoy the show,

Tap follow wherever you listen,

So it's ready for next time.

Today's episode is about focaccia bread.

Focaccia is a flat leavened,

Oven-baked Italian bread.

In Rome,

It is similar to a type of flatbread called pizza bianca,

Literally white pizza.

Focaccia may be served as a side dish or as a sandwich bread,

And it may be round,

Rectangular,

Or square-shaped.

In ancient Rome,

Panis focaccius was a flatbread baked on the hearth.

The word is derived from the Latin focus,

Hearth,

Place for baking.

The basic recipe is thought by some to have originated with the Etruscans,

But today it is widely associated with Ligurian cuisine,

While outside Liguria the word usually refers to the Genoese variants.

The first attestation of the word focaccia dates back to the 14th century.

Focaccia is sometimes considered to be a variant of pizza in publications outside Italy,

Although focaccia is left to rise after being flattened,

While pizza is baked immediately.

Focaccia genovese,

Literally Genoese focaccia,

Marked by its finger-sized holes on its surface called dimples,

Ombrizzali in Genoese dialect,

Is brushed or sprinkled with olive oil,

Coarse salt and sometimes water before the final rise.

In Genoa,

Focaccia is eaten in the morning at breakfast or during the day.

It is often dipped in milk or in cappuccino at breakfast and eaten warm and wet.

Focaccia has countless variations along the Ligurian coast,

From the biscuit-hard focaccia secca,

Literally dry focaccia,

To the cornflour,

Oily,

Soft,

Volturi version.

An extreme example is focaccia con il formaggio,

Literally focaccia with cheese,

Also called focaccia di racco or focaccia tipo racco,

Which is made in a racco near Genoa.

This version has prescingeua cheese,

Sandwiched between two layers of paper-thin dough.

In northwest Italy,

A popular variant is focaccia dolce,

Literally sweet focaccia,

Which is sprinkled lightly with sugar and may include raisins or honey.

In northeast Italy,

Focaccia veneta,

Literally Venetian focaccia,

Is typically for Easter.

It is based on eggs,

Sugar and butter.

In the city of Rimini,

Piazza dei Morti is a sweet focaccia topped with raisins,

Almonds,

Walnuts and pine nuts,

And traditionally eaten in November for All Souls Day.

In the Apulia region,

Southern Italy,

Focaccia pugliese,

Puglian focaccia,

Incorporates potatoes in the dough,

And is topped with tomatoes,

Olives and fresh herbs,

Often oregano.

In south Tyrol,

On the Austrian village of Kreml,

Osterfachatz,

Locally folk-eats,

Is a traditional Easter gift from godparents to their godchildren.

It is made slightly thinner in the center,

So that dyed eggs may be placed there.

Focaccia al rosmarino,

Or rosemary focaccia,

Is topped with rosemary.

It may be served as an antipasto,

Table bread,

Or snack.

Whole or sliced fresh rosemary leaves may be used,

As can dried rosemary.

It may be garnished with sprigs or fresh rosemary,

After baking,

And sprinkled with salt.

Potato rosemary focaccia is sometimes called potato pizza in New York City.

Although rosemary is the most common herb used to flavor focaccia,

Sage is also used,

And the variant is called focaccia alla salvia.

Focaccia al rosmarino may have a moist texture,

And the exact recipe varies.

It may be savory or sweet.

It typically is baked,

Although it is sometimes fried.

Garlic or basil may be added.

It is sometimes served accompanied with slices of prosciutto.

It may be used in the preparation of sandwiches.

In cooking,

A leavening agent or raising agent,

Also called a leaven or leavener,

Is any one of a number of substances used in doughs and batters that cause a foaming action that lightens and softens the mixture.

An alternative or supplement to leavening agents is mechanical action by which air is incorporated,

I.

E.

Kneading.

Leavening agents can be biological or synthetic chemical compounds.

The gas produced is often carbon dioxide,

Or occasionally hydrogen.

When a dough or batter is mixed,

The starch in the flour and the water in the dough form a matrix,

Often supported further by proteins like gluten or polysaccharides,

Such as pentosans and xanthan gum.

The starch then gelatinizes and sets,

Leaving gas bubbles that remain.

Chemical leavens are mixtures or compounds that release gases when they react with each other,

With moisture or with heat.

Most are based on a combination of acid,

Usually a low molecular weight organic acid,

And a salt of bicarbonate.

After they act,

These compounds leave behind a chemical salt.

Chemical leavens are used in quick breads and cakes,

As well as cookies and numerous other applications,

Where a long biological fermentation is impractical or undesirable.

Chemical leavening using pearl ash as a leavening agent was mentioned by Amelia Simmons in her American Cookery,

Published in 1796.

Since chemical expertise is required to create a functional chemical leaven without producing off-flavors from the chemical precursors involved,

Such substances are often mixed into pre-measured combinations for maximum results.

These are generally referred to as baking powders.

Sour milk and carbonates were used in the 1800s.

The breakthrough in chemical leavening agents occurred in the 1930s with the introduction of monocalcium phosphates.

Other leavening agents developed include sodium aluminum sulfate,

Disodium pyrophosphate,

And sodium aluminum phosphates.

These compounds combine with sodium carbonate to give carbon dioxide in a predictable manner.

Steam and air are used as leavening agents when they expand upon heating.

To take advantage of this style of leavening,

The baking must be done at high enough temperatures to flash the water to steam,

With a batter that is capable of holding the steam in until set.

This effect is typically used in products having one large cavity,

Such as popovers,

Yorkshire puddings,

Pita,

And most preparations made from choux pastry.

The effect is also seen to a lesser extent in tempura.

Using a whisk on certain liquids,

Notably cream or egg whites,

Can also create foams through mechanical action.

This is the method employed in the making of sponge cakes,

Where an egg-protein matrix produced by vigorous whipping provides almost all the structure of the finished product.

The Chorleywood bread process uses a mix of biological and mechanical leavening to produce bread.

While it is considered by food processors to be an effective way to deal with the soft wheat flours characteristic of British Isles agriculture,

It is controversial due to a perceived lack of quality in the final product.

The process has nevertheless been adapted by industrial bakers in other parts of the world.

Bruschetta is an Italian appetizer antipasto,

Consisting of grilled bread topped with garlic,

Olive oil,

And salt.

Most commonly,

It is served with toppings of tomatoes,

Vegetables,

Beans,

Cured meat,

Or cheese.

In Italy,

Bruschetta is often prepared using a brustolino grill.

The noun bruschetta comes from the Romanesco dialect verb bruscare,

The equivalent of the abbrustolire,

Which means to toast,

Or to toast over coals.

Waverly Root noted in 1971 that bruschetta was the Roman term for the dish,

With other Italians referring to it as schiena d'azino,

Donkey's back.

In the United States,

The word is sometimes used to refer to a prepared topping sold in jars,

And usually tomato-based,

Instead of the bread,

A sense which is unknown in Italian.

Bruschetta was first documented in English by Elizabeth David in 1954.

David observed in Italian food that bruschetta are eaten with the newly made oil in the olive oil-producing districts of Tuscany and Umbria.

Waverly Root and Marcella Hassan trace the origins of bruschetta to ancient Rome.

According to Root,

Ancient Romans called bruschetta clostrum or closturalum.

An inscription found in the Sabine city of Cures documents that clostrum was distributed to people together with Muslim on important holidays,

Such as Saturnalia.

Hassan states that bruschetta's origins are probably nearly as old as that of olive oil itself.

In ancient Rome,

The first taste of olive oil was likely an oil-soaked piece of bread that may or may not have been rubbed with garlic.

In modern times,

Bruschetta was a staple of the trattoria that made up for the frugality of the fair.

Over time,

The dish gained popularity and made its way into the cuisines of higher social classes.

The International Culinary Center dates bruschetta to the Middle Ages,

When toppings were served on bread instead of plates.

In the Abruzzo region of Italy,

A variation of bruschetta made with ventricina served.

Raw pork products and spices encased in pig bladder are aged,

And the paste spread on open slices of bread,

Which are sometimes grilled.

The dish was developed as a way of salvaging bread that was going stale.

According to the International Culinary Center,

The term bruschetta is sometimes used interchangeably with crostini and the Tuscan dish fettunta.

The Tuscany fettunta is usually served with toppings,

Especially in November,

To taste the first oil of the season.

Breadsticks,

Also known as grissini,

Are generally pencil-sized sticks of crisp,

Dry,

Baked bread that originated in the Italian city of Turin,

Piedmont.

It is believed that the breadstick originated in 1643 when a Florentine abbot described a long shaped and bones-in bread being made in Lanzo Torinese,

A town outside of Turin.

Tradition states,

However,

That it originated in the region of Piedmont in the 17th century,

Invented by a baker called Antonio Brunero from Turin.

It was a food that was intended to be easier to digest for the Duke Victor Amadeus II of Savoy,

Who had digestive problems in his childhood.

In Italian restaurants,

Breadsticks are often offered as an antipasto,

Especially in their traditional shape,

Together with or replacing bread,

Which is commonly provided with all meals.

They may also be combined with ingredients such as prosciutto.

This appears to be the case with restaurants in the United States as well.

In some instances or regions,

They may be a type that is larger than pencil-sized,

As well as soft instead of hard.

In many North American restaurants,

Breadsticks are soft,

Frequently topped with butter,

Garlic,

And cheese when served as appetizers.

As a dessert item,

They can be topped with cinnamon,

Sugar,

And icing.

Pre-made dried breadsticks can be found being sold in markets as a quick snack or a pre-meal appetizer for home use,

Somewhat similar to a cracker.

In Italy,

They are often consumed as a snack on their own,

But in the United States,

They are usually served with a dip of some sort,

Such as cheese.

Another recipe for breadsticks,

Called roschilettas,

Exists in the Valencian community.

Muffuletta,

Or muffaletta,

Is a type of round Sicilian sesame bread,

As well as a popular sandwich created by a Sicilian immigrant to the United States that was popularized in the city of New Orleans.

The name is believed to be a diminutive form of mouffé,

Mold,

Mushroom,

Perhaps due to the round sandwich bread being reminiscent of a mushroom cap,

Or from mouffola,

Muff,

Midden.

Another theory suggests a possible French origin,

Considering that the word mou in French means soft,

Referring to the tender and spongy texture of the bread.

An alternative hypothesis points to a Saxon origin,

Due to the similarity with the English word muffin,

Which refers to a small cake or bun,

Also known for its soft consistency.

The forms muffuletta and its iterations are modern Italianisms of the original Sicilian.

Like many of the foreign-influenced terms found in New Orleans,

Pronunciation has evolved from a phonetic forebearer.

The muffuletta sandwich is said to have been created in 1906 at Central Grocery Company on Decatur Street,

New Orleans,

Louisiana,

By its delicatessen owner,

Salvatore Lupo,

A Sicilian immigrant.

Sicilian immigrant Piaggio Montalbano,

Who was a delicatessen owner in New Orleans,

Is credited with inventing the Roma sandwich,

Which may have been a forerunner of the muffuletta.

Another Italian-style New Orleans delicatessen,

Progress Grocery Company,

Originally opened in 1924 by the Perone family,

Claims the origin of the muffuletta is uncertain.

The traditional-style muffuletta sandwich consists of a muffuletta loaf,

Split horizontally,

And covered with layers of marinated muffuletta-styled olive salad,

Salami,

Ham,

Swiss cheese,

Provolone,

And mortadella.

Quarter,

Half,

And full-sized muffulettas are sold.

The signature olive salad is a chopped salad made from green olives,

Black olives,

Olive oil,

Celery,

Cauliflower,

Carrots,

Sweet peppers,

Onions,

Capers,

Parsley,

Peperoncini,

Oregano,

Garlic,

Vinegar,

Herbs,

And spices.

It is a piquant salad used as a spread.

Celery,

Cauliflower,

And carrots are commonly found in the pickled form,

Known as giardiniera.

Capers and lemon juice may also be included.

It is commercially produced for restaurants and for retail sale.

Muffuletta is usually served cold,

But many vendors will toast it.

Panini,

Nowadays less commonly called panino,

Are sandwiches made with Italian bread,

Usually served warm after grilling or toasting.

In many English-speaking countries,

The name panini is given to a grilled sandwich made using various breads.

The bread is cut horizontally and filled with deli ingredients,

And often served warm after having been pressed by a warming grill.

Panini is a word of Italian origin.

In Italian,

The noun panino is a diminutive of pane,

Which is bread,

And refers to a bread roll.

Panino imbottito,

Stuffed panini,

Refers to a sandwich,

But the word panino is also often used alone to indicate a sandwich in general.

In English-dominant countries,

Panini is widely used as the singular form,

With the plural form panini or paninis,

Although some speakers use regular panino and plural panini as in Italian.

Although the first U.

S.

Reference to panini dates to 1956 and a precursor appeared in a 16th century Italian cookbook,

The sandwiches became trendy in Milanese bars called paninoteche in the 1970s and 1980s.

Trendy U.

S.

Restaurants began selling panini,

With distinctive variations appearing in various cities.

During the 1980s,

The term paninaro arose in Italy to denote a member of a youth culture represented by patrons of sandwich bars,

Such as Milan's Al Panino and Italy's first U.

S.

-style fast food restaurants.

Paninari were depicted as right-leaning,

Fashion-fixated individuals,

Delighting in showcasing early 1980s consumer goods as status symbols.

Ciabatta is an Italian white bread created in 1982 by a baker in Andrea Veneto in response to the popularity of French baguettes.

Ciabatta is somewhat elongated,

Broad and flat,

And is baked in many variations,

Although unique for its alveolar holes.

Ciabatta is made with a strong flour and uses a very high hydration dough.

The name was given to the bread because of its flat oval shape.

In Italian,

The word ciabatta means carpet slipper.

Ciabatta bread was first produced in 1982 by Arnaldo Cavallari,

Who called the bread Ciabatta Polesana after Polesine,

The area he lived in.

The recipe was subsequently licensed by Cavallari's company,

Molini Adresi,

To bakers in 11 countries by 1999.

Cavallari and other bakers in Italy were concerned by the popularity of sandwiches made from baguettes imported from France,

Which were endangering their businesses,

And so set about trying to create an Italian alternative with which to make sandwiches.

The recipe of Ciabatta came about after several weeks of trying variations of traditional bread recipes and consists of a soft,

Wet dough made with high gluten flour.

Many regions have their own variations on the original recipe for a bread that closely resembles ciabatta and has become accepted as a variety of ciabatta.

The ciabatta from the area encompassing Lake Como has a crisp crust,

A somewhat soft,

Porous texture,

And is light to the touch.

The ciabatta found in Tuscany,

Umbria,

And Marche regions varies from bread that has a firm crust and dense crumb to bread that has a crisper crust and more open texture.

In Rome it is often seasoned with marjoram.

New variations of the recipe continue to be developed.

Whole wheat ciabatta is known as ciabatta integrale,

And when milk is added to the dough it becomes ciabatta a latte.

Ciabatta bread was introduced to the United Kingdom in 1985 by Marx and Spencer,

Then to the United States in 1987 by Orlando Bakery,

A Cleveland firm.

Burlengo,

Plural borlenghi,

Also called burlengo or zampanelle,

Is an Italian thin flatbread.

Originally a type of food eaten by the poor and made only with flour and water,

It now also usually includes salt and,

Optionally,

Eggs,

And is often made outside in a frying pan the size of a cartwheel.

These are then rubbed with a mixture that can contain rosemary,

Garlic,

Salt pork,

Olive oil,

Or what is called gunza,

Sauteed mixed pancetta and sausage,

Folded into quarters and sprinkled with parmesan.

Castiello is a leavened savory bread originating from Naples,

Prepared during the Easter period.

Its basic ingredients are flour,

Lard,

Cheese,

Salami,

Cracklings,

Eggs,

And black pepper.

The bread's name derives probably from the Neapolitan word casso,

An Italian cacio,

Cheese,

Hence casatiello,

An ingredient that is part of its dough.

The existence of casatiello,

Like that of pastiera,

Another Neapolitan Easter product,

Has been attested at least since the 17th century.

The proof comes from the folktale La gatta generantola,

Cinderella the Cat,

Published in 1634-1636 in the short story collection Pentamerone ovvero lo cunto del cunti by Giambattista Basile,

A Neapolitan writer writing in the Neapolitan language,

Who lived between the 16th and 17th centuries.

The bread is mentioned in the passage where he describes the king's celebrations to find the girl who had lost her slipper.

And when the established day came,

Oh my goodness,

What a chew and what a feast.

Where did so many pastiere and casatiello come from?

Where did the stews and meatballs come from?

Where did the macaroni and ravioli come from?

So much stuff that an entire army could eat.

In the 19th century,

Casciello is also mentioned in the book Costumi e tradizioni di Napoli e dintorni,

Customs and Traditions of Naples and the Surrounding Area,

Published in 1858 and edited by Francesco de Boccard,

A Neapolitan scholar of Swiss origin,

Who describes the bread and its preparation,

Stating that the casciello was baked at home for the Easter lunch and offered as a gift to neighbors and to the servants in the laundress.

Casciello is based on a bread dough enriched with cheese,

Usually smoked scamorza,

But also pecorino and some parmesan could be used,

Lard,

Ciccioli,

And other cured meats.

The dough is worked into the shape of a donut,

Placed in a mold,

And left to rise for a long time,

At least 12 hours.

If made with quick leaven,

About two hours are enough.

The bread is then baked,

Traditionally in a wood-fired oven.

Casciello is usually prepared on Good Friday,

Left to rise overnight,

Baked the following day,

And eaten on Holy Saturday and Easter Monday.

The casciello,

Unlike similar products such as tortano,

Is prepared around Easter,

From which it borrows the symbolism.

The strips of bread arranged to cage the eggs,

Half submerged in the dough,

Represent the cross on which Jesus died,

While the ring shape is a reminder of the cyclical nature of the Easter resurrection and of Christ's crown of thorns.

During the preparation,

The eggs are placed whole and baked in the oven together with the dough.

While some bakers put them raw,

Others prefer to use already hard-boiled eggs.

The cooking takes place at 170 degrees Celsius for about 60 minutes.

The bread can also be used as a packed lunch during the traditional trips out of town,

Italian Gite fuori Porta on Easter Monday.

Casciello can be kept for a maximum of two or three days,

Then it becomes harder and harder.

In Naples,

A stale casciello is named amazzaruto,

Literally,

Not enough leavened,

And then,

By extension,

Hard.

Tortano is a very similar product.

The two main differences are the use of eggs,

Which in casciello are also placed in the upper part,

And not only hard-boiled and in small pieces in the dough as in tortano,

And that of charcuterie,

Which is part of the dough filling in casciello,

Whereas it is omitted in tortano.

The sweet version of casciello has as main ingredients eggs,

Sugar,

Lard,

And icing,

And is decorated on the surface with diabolili,

Little devils,

Neapolitan for colored dragees.

This variant is widespread in Caserta,

In the island of Procida,

And in the Benevento and Vesuvian area.

Other sweet versions are found in Monte di Procida and in the Nolano area.

In reference to the heaviness of the dish,

In Naples,

It is customary to say,

Si proprio un casciello,

In Italian,

Sei proprio un casciello,

Literally,

You are really a casciello,

To mean you are a person of quality,

But also an indigestible boring person.

Reviews

I love some good bread….
But you did the job and I was asleep fast, so thank you! 😻

A new favorite, Benjamin. I love most things Italy + bread + focaccia. Grazie mille.

As I imagined my own fingers poking the dough, I drifted off to 😴💤💤 And who knew there so many variations of focaccia!! Good one Ben!