The traditional Modenese sweet bensone reminds me a lot of another regional traditional sweet, which is my Romagna brazadela” containing the same genuine and simple ingredients but without the filling of jam or savor inside.
The classic Modena bensone is also called balsone or bassolano and I believe it is the most well-known sweet of this Emilian province, which I must say is rich in characteristic and delicious foods like for example the Torta Barozzi!
The homemade recipe for bensone with the classic oval shape is surely passed down from family to family and is made with ingredients we always have in the pantry, and it has remained the same for years with flour, sugar, eggs, butter, milk, and either honey or sugar.
The filling of the Modenese sweet bensone recipe is optional, but since I had some amazing forest fruit jam in the fridge, I couldn’t resist and I put in a great quantity, maybe too much!
It is the classic traditional sweet of Modena that is perfect at any time of the day from breakfast in the morning, to lunch perhaps dipped in Lambrusco and as a snack accompanied by a glass of fruit juice for the little ones!
The name of the sweet bensone perhaps derives from the French pain de son that is bran bread because in ancient times a coarser, unsifted flour was used to prepare this Modenese “ring cake.”
But others have a more romantic etymology that the word bensone comes from “pain de bendson” meaning bread for blessing because it was customary to have the sweets blessed during Holy Saturday and other religious occasions!
As I mentioned above and as I did, the Modenese sweet bensone with dough similar to a ring cake can be filled with jam or marmalade of choice and also with savor, which is a kind of sweet marmalade or preserve made with grape must and mixed fruits, with an intense flavor and dark color.
Savor like sapa are typical Romagna preparations that Maria, my late mother, always made in September during the grape harvest, and the aroma spread throughout the house!
The Modenese sweet bensone is a P.A.T. meaning it is a traditional agri-food product, thus included in a defined and special list compiled by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies that records and classifies Italian food specialties.
To fill the Modenese bensone you need to make a square with the dough, fill it leaving the edges free, close it like a book, placing the closure underneath so it seals itself during baking, brush it with milk, sprinkle with sugar crystals, and into the oven it goes!
I won’t tell you how fragrant it makes the house….
I’ll leave you with more delicious and tasty recipes from my Emilia-Romagna region…
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 5 Minutes
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 cup sugar
- 5.5 oz butter (soft)
- 1 lemon (only grated zest)
- 1 packet baking powder
- to taste milk
- 14 oz jam (for me, forest fruits)
- to taste milk
- to taste sugar crystals
Tools
#ADV
- Rolling Boards
- Food Scales
- Forks
- Graters
- Spoons
- Parchment Paper
- Non-Stick Baking Trays
Steps
1) The preparation of the traditional Modena sweet Bensone is very simple, just put the sifted flour with the baking powder in a fountain on a board or in a bowl and add the eggs and the soft butter to the center.
2) Also add the grated lemon zest and sugar and with a fork, I start to incorporate the ingredients together.
3) The dough now needs a liquid to better compact itself, so I added a little milk and made a soft and homogeneous dough.
4) With a sprinkle of flour and placing a sheet of parchment paper on the surface, I now roll out the Modenese bensone dough with a rolling pin into a fairly regular square.
5) Then, leaving the edges free, I cover the dough with the jam or preserve that I prefer… For me, a nice amount of forest fruit preserve!
6) Now I fold it like a book (divide the square into 3 imaginary parts and bring one part towards the center and over it, overlapping the third part) leaving the jam hidden in the center.
7) Brush now with a little milk, sprinkle with sugar crystals, and then score the center of the traditional Modenese sweet bensone (I scored it too much, heh heh)
8) Now bake it in a static oven at 356°F and let it cook for about 40-45 minutes or according to the characteristics of your home appliance (I kept the parchment paper during baking).
9) The sweet bensone of Modena tradition is truly a delight!
Enjoy your meal!
Annalisa says …
I therefore recommend following the indicated doses and not making half like I did, because the Bensone is so, so good and will be gone in no time!!!!!!!!!
If like me you are curious about the gastronomic tradition of the regions of Italy, I invite you to read here more curiosities and information on the traditional Modenese sweet bensone.
Recipe for Modenese bensone by Natalia Cattelani and also by her on the blog you can find #noadv
