Do you want to immerse yourself in a recipe that is in use by almost 8 centuries?
It's in "Statuti of Ferrara", written in 1287, that you can find the first mention of the "Coppia Ferrarese" (in dialect "ciopa" or "ciupeta") and is also the first traditional food, not casually bread, that we encounter in our journey through the "Bassa" (flatlands).
Its double-horns shape and characteristic aroma, due to the use of pork fat, are imitated everywhere but only in the flatlands between Bologna and Ferrara you can still find bakeries that produce a "coppia" that remains crunchy after a few days and does not become quickly dry and practically inedible.
Since 2004 this type of bread has been recognized with a PGI regime (protected geographical indication) to protect its originality and its ties with the territory.
But we can try to bake this bread also at home.
Ingredients
- for about 2½ lb. of bread
10 cups all purpose flour
7 oz. natural yeast
3½ oz. pork fat
4 teaspoons of salt
1 tablespoon brewer's yeast
1½ cup water
- for about 4½ lb. of natural yeast
20 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon red vinegar
6 cups of water
Preparation
Prepare the yeast first as it takes about a week to be ready. Knead 20 cups of flour with 2 cups of water and the vinegar. Stir the mixture for 10 minutes, being careful to keep it soft, and form a ball that will rest for 24 hours away from heat. Add further 2 cups of flour and less than ½ cup of water and knead again, then left the dough rest for other 12 hours. Do the same every 12 hours for five days after which knead the dough, place in a container covered with a cotton cloth and let rest for another day.
When the natural yeast is ready, start the preparation of the bread. Place the flour in a ring and pour in the center the brewer's yeast, dissolved in little warm water, and the pork fat. Knead the ingredients slowly, adding the remaining water in which you dissolved the salt. Add the natural yeast and continue to knead for about 15 minutes until you create a smooth and compact dough. Cover with a cotton cloth and let rest for another 15-20 minutes. Create from the dough two cylinders of equal weight. Spread them in order to have a flat strip about 4 in. wide and ½ in. high. Roll one side of the strip but take in count that the secret is not to roll the strip completely, but leaving the last part flat. When the horn is formed roll around it the flat part and then join it with the identical part of the other piece of dough to form a pair. Bake at 400-480 F for about 20 minutes.
References:
Wikipedia: Coppia Ferrarese
Panificio Fabbri: la Coppia Ferrarese (with images on how to form the bread)
The other articles of the reportage: Tales from the "Bassa" (Flatland):
Tales from the "Bassa" (Flatland) - Introduction
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13 commenti :
beautiful bread! looks so soft too!
Wonderful and unique recipe.
love it when you give the history behind the food - makes it so much more interesting ... thanks
@Jessie
It's not really soft neither hard, it's crispy in a special way actually, difficult to explain but it is why it's famous.
@Ljilja
Thanks for your appreciation!
@Drick
Having studied History at the Uni left me with this bad habit to bore my readers :D
Love love love this recipe! There is something about pork fat that makes any dish so much tastier.
Incredible bread - it's so beautiful, how it looks like stag's horns. I love the history as well... and of course your photo.
Thank you!
ingredients say 10 cups of flour but first line of directions say 20 cups? huh?
This bread looks spectacular. Thank you for the post and the interesting links.
@Marija
I grew up with the taste of pork fat, it's widely used in the kitchen where I live even if now is (unfortunately) more and more replaced by olive oil (if only it were of good quality :( )
@Mae
Thanks for your appreciative words!
DI Anderson
The former 10 cups are needed to bake 2 and 1/2 lb. of bread, the latter 20 are to create the natural yeast that you have to prepare in larger quantities than for just 2 1/2 lb. of bread, otherwise it won't properly ferment.
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