The Romagnola Bread of the Dead is a traditional sweet typical of the month of the dead, November, from the dialect term belonging to Emilia-Romagna, which my friends from Riccione, Maddalena and Alessandra, prepare excellently. Although the name may be misleading, it is not a flatbread but a real focaccia or bread, consumed in these days to honor the dead. The recipe varies depending on the area, so there are several versions, and in some, grape must is added, in others anise or fennel, and so on, but in any case, the base always remains the same. Although the process requires working times, as is the case for any leavened product, you must absolutely try it because it is delicious, and the preparation is really simple.
Here are links to some recipes, also belonging to the Romagna tradition:
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 5 Hours
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 6/8 people
- Cooking methods: Electric Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn
Ingredients
- 3 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 tbsp dry yeast
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup water
- 2.1 oz egg
- 5.6 oz raisins
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp plenty of pine nuts
- 1 tbsp plenty of peeled almonds
- 1 tbsp plenty of walnut kernels
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
Tools
- 1 Cake Pan 8.66 inches in diameter
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Hand Whisk
- 1 Parchment Paper
- 1 Plastic Wrap
- 1 Brush
- 1 Small Saucepan
How to prepare the Romagnola Bread of the Dead
First, soak the raisins, and pour the dry yeast into 1/2 cup of lukewarm water. Then pour the egg into a bowl, along with the brown sugar.
Whip with a hand whisk, add the extra virgin olive oil, and the yeast dissolved in the water.
Always with the hand whisk, mix well, also add the flour, and mix with your hands.
As the last ingredient, add the raisins but only after removing them from the soak and squeezing them well. Turn the dough onto the worktable, and work until you get a smooth and homogeneous dough. Finally, form a sort of ball.
Let it rise in the same bowl as the dough, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rise for about 4 hours. After this time, take the dough again and work it for a few more minutes.
Roll it out inside a cake pan, with a diameter of 8.66 inches, lined with parchment paper, and let it rise for another hour. After this period, add the pine nuts, almonds, walnuts, and distribute them all over the surface, making them adhere well to the dough.
Bake in a preheated oven at 356°F, and let it cook for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the glaze by putting 1 tablespoon of water and one of sugar in a small bowl. Put on the stove, let the sugar dissolve, and with a brush, distribute the syrup on the bread still in the oven. Bake for another 5 minutes. After that, remove it immediately from the oven to prevent it from drying out.
Serve your Romagnola Bread of the Dead, only after letting it cool on a wire rack.
Tips, variations, notes, and storage
You can store the Romagnola Bread of the Dead like any cake: inside a paper bag for bread, or under a glass cake dome.
If you do not like or are intolerant to some type of nuts, feel free to remove the one that bothers you, but still put the rest.
To keep it longer, you can freeze it both raw and cooked.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
How do I divide a fresh egg to get the necessary weight?
Break a whole egg, put it in a small bowl, beat it with a fork, and at this point, take the necessary weight.
