The bread of the dead is a traditional Lombard dessert prepared for the Commemoration of the Dead on November 2. Many regional recipes are prepared on this occasion; in Emilia Romagna, they make the fave dei morti and the piada dei morti, two very good but completely different desserts. The first are soft biscuits with anise seeds, while the second is a leavened dough enriched with raisins and nuts.
Today I offer you the bread of the dead, a rich peasant recipe made with simple, leftover ingredients like dry biscuits that are mixed with flour, sugar, egg whites, raisins, nuts, figs, and spices. The original version was simpler but has been enriched over time with nuts, vin santo, and candied fruits. The shape is oval, resembling breakfast cookies, with a soft yet compact consistency and a fantastic taste.
The preparation is very simple, even though it takes some time to blend all the ingredients and form the dough, which will be divided into small portions and shaped into ovals before baking. Excellent freshly baked and cooled, it becomes even better after a couple of days of rest.
Here are some recipes to try:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: 10 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn
- Energy 289.44 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 53.60 (g) of which sugars 27.85 (g)
- Proteins 6.81 (g)
- Fat 6.67 (g) of which saturated 0.75 (g)of which unsaturated 1.15 (g)
- Fibers 3.43 (g)
- Sodium 136.48 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 90 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 oz ladyfingers
- 3 1/2 oz dry biscuits (to taste, I used dry Bolognese ciambella)
- 1 3/4 oz amaretti
- 4 1/2 oz all-purpose flour
- 4 1/4 oz sugar
- 1 oz honey (you can replace it with sugar)
- 1 oz unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 3/4 oz vin santo (or moscato)
- 3 egg whites (medium, about 3 oz)
- 2 1/4 oz dried figs
- 2 1/4 oz raisins
- 2 1/2 oz blanched almonds
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 1 pinch salt
- as needed powdered sugar
Tools
- 1 Food processor
- 1 Bowl large
- 1 Small bowl
- 1 Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- 1 Work surface
Procedure
Rinse the raisins thoroughly under running water, then place them in a small bowl covered with warm water. Let them soak while we prepare the ingredients.
Break the ladyfingers and place them in the food processor with the amaretti and dry biscuits, blend until you obtain a sort of flour.
Pour the blended biscuits into a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, cocoa, salt, spices, and mix well.
Coarsely blend the dried figs with the almonds (in my opinion, they should be noticeable when you bite into the biscuit, so I created a coarse texture, but if you prefer a finer texture, blend longer) and add them to the bowl.
Add the vin santo, egg whites, honey, and raisins drained from the water and patted dry with paper towels.
Mix everything with your hands until you get a soft dough. If you prefer, you can use a stand mixer.
Transfer the mixture onto the work surface and form a loaf. Cover it with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
At this point, you can cut the loaf into 10 slices of 1/2 inch or form 3 oz balls, flatten them, and give them the typical oval shape of bread of the dead.
Place the treats on a baking sheet lined with a sheet of parchment paper, sprinkle with a little powdered sugar, and bake in a preheated static oven at 350°F for 20/25 minutes. Adjust according to the power of your oven.
Bread of the dead is ready, let it cool completely before serving.
They are even better after 1 or 2 days of resting.
Advice
Storage
Bread of the dead can be stored for 7/10 days in a cool, dry place, an airtight container, or under a glass dome.
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