Pane Siciliano – Sicilian Bread

Tags

Aniseed, Batuffolando, mafalda, occhi, Pane Siciliano, Semola rimacinata, Sesame, SIcilian Bread, Sicily

Una versione italiana di questo post si trova qui.

Last September, we spent a week on Marettimo, the most remote of the Egadi Islands off the northwest coast of Sicily. It would take a long time to do justice to the wonders of this enchanting island. Apart from the beautiful scenery and crystal clear sea, it is a paradise for lovers of fish and seafood. I’m afraid I don’t really fall into that category, but my partner most definitely does. So we visited a number of the excellent fish restaurants on the island, where I endured quite a bit of good-natured abuse and the occasional look of contempt from the proprietors, when I asked if they could serve me with meat.

But I had no qualms about the bread. Golden brown and crusted with sesame, its crumb a lovely yellow, and with a rich and elusive flavour, it was some of the best bread I’ve ever tasted. In Palermo, where we spent a few frenetic days at the end of our holiday, the sesame was enhanced by a little bit of aniseed.

Bagels

Tags

Aniseed, Bagel, fennel seed, Fresh from the oven, poppy seed, Sesame

Despite its name, this blog will not just be about things Italian, and you certainly couldn’t get much less Italian than this recipe.

“The oddest thing you are ever likely to do to a piece of dough”. So says Daniel Stevens in his introduction to the recipe I have adapted here. He was referring to the way the bagels are poached before being baked. Odd it may be, but the unexpected reward was the delicious aroma that wafted up from the simmering water. Not only that, but the finished bagels were delicious too.