The bread that smells like autumn
As soon as autumn begins, walking through the alleys of Siena’s old town, you can smell the unmistakable spicy aroma of Pan co’ Santi. It’s actually a bread stuffed with raisins, walnuts, spices, the inevitable red wine, black pepper and extra virgin olive oil. A bread that in ancient times was made from seasonal produce that was easily found in the pantry. Rustic on the surface, soft and flavourful on the inside, it’s the bread that kick-starts all holidays.
Ingredients
- 500 g of all-purpose flour
- 200 g of chicken livers
- 250 g of walnuts
- 25 g of brewer’s yeast
- 300 ml of water
- 1 glass of extra virgin olive oil
- 200 g of sugar
- a generous amount of ground black pepper
- one tablespoon of salt
- Vinsanto qb
Method
- Dissolve the brewer’s yeast in 300 ml of warm water and add it to the flour. Add a pinch of sugar and a pinch of salt. Knead until the dough becomes smooth and homogeneous. Cover with a cloth and let it rise in a warm place for 2 to 3 hours.
- Meanwhile, soak the raisins in Vin Santo and a little hot water for about 30 minutes. Toast the walnuts in a pan with a little oil, add the drained raisins and a little sugar.
- Now take the risen dough and add the so-called ‘saints’ that is raisins and walnuts, a large glass of extra virgin olive oil and 150 grams of sugar. Add a generous amount of pepper and a level tablespoon of salt.
- Knead with your hands until the dough has absorbed all the ingredients and if necessary add a little flour, the dough should be firm enough to form a loaf. Then, leave to rise for another 2 hours.
- After the second rise the loaf is ready, brush it with egg yolk and bake at 160° for 45 minutes.
You can store Pan co’ Santi for a couple of days in a paper bag. As time passes, you will notice the flavour becoming even more intense.
