Interesting Facts

The history of Lagaccio biscuits is ancient. It is said that around 1539, the prince (admiral and politician of the Republic of Genoa) Andrea Doria, in order to have his own water reserve, built a dam between the hills of Granarolo and Oregina. The dam created an artificial lake that the locals derogatorily called “lagaccio”. In the same area, a century later, an artisanal workshop began producing these simple slices of twice-baked bread that kept well for a long time. For this reason, they were perfect for sea voyages, on ships for sailors and fishermen. In memory of the lake, the dam, and the neighborhood (which is still called that today) where this originated, the biscuits were named “lagaccio”. Sometimes, Lagaccio biscuits are confused with health biscuits, which are more similar to toast. While Lagaccio biscuits, enriched in some cases and according to some recipes with anise or fennel seeds, are more of a pastry product.

Notes

In reality, Lagaccio biscuits should be strictly prepared with sourdough. To simplify the rising times and encourage you to try making them at home, I chose to use yeast, but I will try again to prepare them with sourdough, which undoubtedly gives a particular aroma to leavened products. If you want to try, you can replace the yeast with 100 grams of sourdough. Obviously, keep in mind that the rising times will be longer. For each step, proceed only when the dough doubles in volume.

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