Tuscan bread

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

In Tuscany, bread has always played an important role and has become the main ingredient in many recipes that even the poorest people could put on the table with ease. Its preparation and, above all, the characteristics of the bread, without salt and with a slightly acid taste, make it a type of product recognized by the DOP mark: Protected Designation of Origin.

The reason for this, is subject to various interpretations, the most plausible being that salt was too expensive due to high taxes and so they decided to do without it, it wasn’t as if they could give up making bread!

In addition to the classic Tuscan bread, there are other “special” breads, those with seeds, dried fruit, herbs and spices, or the sweet ones with honey and candied fruit, which in Florence are the ancestors of the ramerino bread.

What We Love About This Place

"Pane Toscano” (Tuscan Bread) is a white bread because it is made with wheat flour as the raw material, water and natural yeast. In fact, the specification for 'Pane Toscano' PDO requires a leavened dough made with soft wheat flour of type "0" (containing wheat germs), water and only natural yeast. The specification also defines the proportions and timing, which vary according to weight and shape: for example, the classic 500-gram rhomboid-shaped loaf is rectangular and when it is elongated it weighs 1 kg. It is distinguished by its specific characteristics, in particular its shelf life, the fine alveolation of the ivory-white crumb, digestible, the typical taste and aroma of toasted hazelnuts, the crumbly and crunchy crust, but with a certain elasticity, and the golden, light hazelnut, opaque color. The "Pane Toscano" is "sciocco", i.e. without the addition of salt, and it is precisely this characteristic that makes it an excellent match for savory dishes, such as sausages, which are particularly spicy in the Tuscan tradition (such as ham or Tuscan salami), and places it as a diet-balancing element in Tuscan cuisine, both traditional and contemporary.

This Place is Important Because

Wheat has always been present on the Tuscan table, as a basic element in the diet of all social classes, so much so that the municipal statutes themselves contain interesting references to the production, milling and distribution of flour and bread, handed down from the 11th to the 17th century. The production of bread was an important activity, so much so that it was governed by very precise rules that influenced the social organization and the daily life of the people. The importance of bread in Tuscan culture can be seen in the many traces left over the centuries: all farmhouses, even the poorest, had a wood oven for baking bread and a madia, a special piece of furniture, for leavening it. Even today it is considered disrespectful to throw away leftover bread. This probably explains the wealth of popular recipes based on the use of stale bread: panzanella, known as early as the 1500s, panata, a soup known since the 14th century, ribollita, acqua cotta, pappa col pomodoro, bruschetta or fettunta, black cabbage soup and others. The harvest lasts from mid-June to mid-July. The threshing is finished by August 15th. The harvest of cereals, especially wheat, has always been a very important moment in the production cycle, representing the culmination of the entire agricultural year.

Special Tips

Panzanella One of the most typical Tuscan summer dishes is panzanella. The main ingredient is stale bread, soaked in water; then add fresh vegetables cut in small pieces such as cucumbers, ripe tomatoes and basil and use Olive oil, salt, pepper and wine vinegar to season. Perhaps the panzanella snacks were the panzane, or fibs, told by friends, hence the name panzanella! Pappa al pomodoro Stale bread, oil, salt and tomatoes: this is how you make Pappa al pomodoro! This dish became famous thanks to the character of Giamburrasca, who demanded pappa instead of the slop that passed the university canteen, but already the peasants claimed that eating pappa al pomodoro prolonged life! Bruschetta al pomodoro One of the most classic Tuscan dishes, bruschetta al pomodoro appeals to everyone, easy to make, flavorful and tasty. The only secret is the quality of the ingredients. Choose nice ripe tomatoes, the right bread and extra virgin olive oil of the intensity you like best, a little salt and a few basil leaves.