Bread is very important in the Florentine and Tuscan diet and is featured in a lot of different kinds of meals and dishes including sandwiches, antipasti, soups and salads. Florentine bread, called pane sciocco, means bread “without salt” and is also a synonym for “stupid” bread. It is immediately recognisable for its uniquely thick crust and its absence of salt. This distinctive absence of salt harkens back to the Middle Ages and there are two stories attributed to its origins. In one a feud between Florence and Pisa cut off the supply of salt to the city of the Medici and in another story, it is claimed that salt once became so heavily taxed that it could no longer be afforded by common folk, who omitted it from their bread. The name “stupid” bread, brings to mind how unusual and silly the recipe must have seemed at first but now it is a point of pride for Tuscans and, to them, other breads seem too salty. Whatever the reasons or origins, you will see this bread everywhere in Florence today. Until you've found the perfect luxury villa in Florence and headed off on your holidays, try this recipe!
Ingredients
Makes around 2 loaves
For flour paste:
256g of flour
398g of boiling water
For final dough:
341g of flour
114g of water
8g of instant yeast
28g of olive oil
All of the flour paste
Method
1. Make the flour paste first. Pour the boiling water over the flour in bowl and stir until you have a smooth, thick, homogeneous paste. Then cool, cover and allow it to stand for 12 hours.
2. Combine all of the final dough ingredients together and mix by hand or with a mixer on low speed until combined. It should have a medium-soft consistency, if not, add water as needed.
Continue mixing to low level of gluten development.
3. Now, transfer the dough to a lightly oiled container. Cover and ferment for 2 hours, with a fold after the first hour.
4. Turn the dough onto a floured counter and divide it in half. Pre-shape the pieces into balls and cover and allow them to rest for 15 minutes.
5. Shape the dough into loaves. Place right-side-up, onto a piece of parchment paper the size of your baking stone or line a baking tray.
6. Proof, covered, for about one hour. Preheat the oven, with baking stone, to 260C and prepare steam.
7. Just before baking, sift flour on the tops of the loaves and slash them with two overlapping slashes running nearly parallel to the long axis of the loaf.
8. Slide the parchment, with the loaves on it, onto the baking stone or tray. Reduce the temperature to 230C. Bake for 10 minutes with steam, and another 20 – 25 minutes without steam.
9. The loaves should be a rich golden colour. Then turn off the oven and leave the loaves in for another 5 minutes, with the door ajar.
10. Allow to cool on a wire rack.
Once you've gotten hooked, or if you think this all seems a tiny bit too ambitious, be sure to try the real thing in Florence!
Makes around 2 loaves
For flour paste:
256g of flour
398g of boiling water
For final dough:
341g of flour
114g of water
8g of instant yeast
28g of olive oil
All of the flour paste
Method
1. Make the flour paste first. Pour the boiling water over the flour in bowl and stir until you have a smooth, thick, homogeneous paste. Then cool, cover and allow it to stand for 12 hours.
2. Combine all of the final dough ingredients together and mix by hand or with a mixer on low speed until combined. It should have a medium-soft consistency, if not, add water as needed.
Continue mixing to low level of gluten development.
3. Now, transfer the dough to a lightly oiled container. Cover and ferment for 2 hours, with a fold after the first hour.
4. Turn the dough onto a floured counter and divide it in half. Pre-shape the pieces into balls and cover and allow them to rest for 15 minutes.
5. Shape the dough into loaves. Place right-side-up, onto a piece of parchment paper the size of your baking stone or line a baking tray.
6. Proof, covered, for about one hour. Preheat the oven, with baking stone, to 260C and prepare steam.
7. Just before baking, sift flour on the tops of the loaves and slash them with two overlapping slashes running nearly parallel to the long axis of the loaf.
8. Slide the parchment, with the loaves on it, onto the baking stone or tray. Reduce the temperature to 230C. Bake for 10 minutes with steam, and another 20 – 25 minutes without steam.
9. The loaves should be a rich golden colour. Then turn off the oven and leave the loaves in for another 5 minutes, with the door ajar.
10. Allow to cool on a wire rack.
Once you've gotten hooked, or if you think this all seems a tiny bit too ambitious, be sure to try the real thing in Florence!
