I grew up hearing stories of my paternal grandmother, Caterina, and of her pane fatto in casa (home-made bread). In the house there was a madia, a piece of furniture made of wood, with a lid on top, over which she would knead bread dough (impastare il pane) and inside which she kept flour (farina) and other items. Like the other women of the village, she did not bake her bread at home, but at the public oven (forno).
Nonna Caterina passed away when I was not even two years old. I never saw either my aunt Lucia or my mother making bread, so when I decided it was time for me to try, I had no model. In early summer of this year I moved my first tentative steps (i primi passi) and the results were encouraging, so I kept going. When I learned that Tanna of My Kitchen in Half Cups would be the host of the November Daring Bakers' challenge, my forecast was that we would be baking bread e c'ho indovinato (I guessed right).
A few years ago I bought a small bread making machine, which has gained the unenviable status of least-used appliance on my kitchen counter. My problem with it is not that it doesn't work: in fact, it makes a lovely mini loaf that is perfect for a small family, and it takes only 45 minutes to do its job. The problem is that it's not my idea of fun, because I don't get to do anything, beyond the initial placing of the ingredients. I love to knead bread, I enjoy the physical contact with the dough (pasta di pane). I like to see the dough leaven (lievitare), to feel its texture, to shape it into a loaf and put it in the oven. I relish the unmistakable profumo del pane appena sfornato (aroma of freshly-baked bread) that wafts from the oven. (Having said all that, after reading about the no knead bread here and here, I am curious to try.)
I got to do all that I like, and more, thanks to Tanna's choice of recipe: tender potato bread.
The appropriate word to describe the dough is soffice (feathery): being a principiante, I kept the potato quantity towards the lower end of the range (8-9 oz) and used about 7 cups of all-purpose flour. I loved handling the dough: I used about 2/3 to make a loaf and, with the rest, mi è venuto il ghiribizzo (I had the whimsical idea) of making bread muffins. As I was shaping the muffins, I grabbed a few ingredients I had easy access to and used them to flavor (insaporire) them: semi di sesamo (sesame seeds), semi di girasole (sunflower seeds), uvetta (raisins), olive nere (black olives), pitted and halved, and pâté di olive (olive spread).
The loaf (filone di pane) was glorious. When it was cool, I cut a piece and froze the rest. Freezing bread is a great option for a family of two where one half is into baking big loaves. Nonna Caterina did not have that option, since she had no freezer. She baked bread once a week, which was a common schedule. As a result, as baking day approached, the loaves from the previous session were not as appealing, texture-wise, as they were when warm from the oven. This explains the existence of many recipes (like panzanella) that give new life to bread past its prime (pane raffermo).
I spent the morning after Thanksgiving making my second batch of tender potato bread. Once again, the loaf was a satisfying success. With the remaining 1/3 of dough this time I decided to make focaccia, but for some reason I could not make the dough to maintain the length and width I stretched it to, so I decided to apply a 'divide and conquer' approach and made focaccine. I sprinkled fresh rosemary over most of the small focacce, toasted squash seeds on one and currants on the last one, because homogeneity is really not my style.
Make sure you read the recipe for this delicious bread and use the Daring Bakers blogroll to guide you to look at the bread masterworks that were baked around the world by my fellow daring kneaders.
Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:
or launch the pane alle patate delicato audio file [mp3].
[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]
your bread looks beautiful and your story was beautiful. your grandmother would be proud of those loaves
What a lovely story to share! And I loved the early-morning Italian lesson – such a nice treat 🙂
Thanks for sharing a part of your life story! Your bread looks wonderful!
Fabulous. You guessed it, that’s great fun.
Your breads look glorious. When the dough won’t stay in length, it may just need to be covered and left for a rest, 10 minutes or so. Then it may be more inclined to behave.
Beautiful about your paternal grandmother, Caterina!
Happy Baking to you.
I’m just like you, Simona. I like to knead the dough. My husband wants to get me a machine but I know it wouldnt be used. Just as a dust collector, maybe. Your bread looks like it came out really nice 🙂
Loved the family bread story and the mp3 pronunciation! Great post and great job on this month’s challenge.
I have realized that I enjoy kneading bread as well. I got my Kitchenaid so that I would make bread more often, but I usually end up kneading it by hand! Your potato bread looks great!!
I hate bread machines for that very reason…you don’t get to actually do any of the fun stuff.
Lovley bread you made.
I’m trying to get into a once-a-week schedule of bread baking again. Simple yet so rewarding.
Oh, just lovely. You have some gorgeous breads there!
Thanks, Courtney: I hope she would be.
Thanks, Shawnda: I am glad you liked the audio part.
Thanks, April.
Thanks, Tanna, for the advice: it will come handy when I make this recipe again, with more potatoes.
Hi Maryann. Just tell your husband to get you something else. I have an immersion blender on my wish list and a big kneading board.
Mary, after seen what you did, I am inspired.
Thanks, Deborah. I hope you can put your Kitchenaid to use in other ways. Indeed, kneading is too much fun.
Hi Kevin, me too. I bake on Sunday, freeze half and take it out on Wednesday. Rewarding is the right word.
Thanks, Jen.
Le patate nell’impasto daranno al pane una sofficità inusuale. E’ vero?
E’ così che lo immagino.
Ciao
Thanks for the comment on my blog.
Nice to read the lovely story. In my family it was my grand aunt, who was the baker in the family but she never baked bread.
Do you happen to have this particular book? There are pictures in there that I had to think off while reading your story on your grandmother, beautiful write up! (and lovely breads!)
I don’t know what I like best, your breads or the family story behind it! You did a marvelous job on the breads and your grandmother can be proud. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us and cheers to many more breads and loaves coming out of your kitchen!
You did a wonderful job on your bread. Thanks for the story about your grandmother.
Natalie @ Gluten A Go Go
Great family story and your breads look fantastic.
What lovely bread you made!
Ringraziamenti per la storia bella!
xoxo
Ciao Lenny: e’ come pensi. Rendono la pasta un po’ piu’ molle del solito, ma per me questo non e’ stato un problema.
You are welcome, Ulrike. I noticed that for a lot of people, baking bread is something apart, different.
Hi Karen. What is the book you are referring to?
Thanks, Marinette for your good wishes. I like to cook and also to tell stories.
You are welcome, Natalie.
Thanks, Amanda.
Prego, Gabi, piacere mio.
Your breads look wonderful! I especially love the idea of focaccine–my own little focaccia!
I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of a forno. I sometimes wish there were still public ovens around, just for the camaraderie.
My mom sent a bread machine to me, and I’ve yet to use it. I enjoy kneading and forming the dough by hand, too!
My favorite learned word of this post is “soffice.”
I used to have a bread maker but I got rid of it because I never used it. It is much more fun to make your own, though I have only done so a few times. Your potato bread muffins look really nice!
What a wonderful post. Your grandmother Catarina would be proud!
Hi there! I also had a similar problem stretching my dough to form a foccacia. I ever tore a few parts but managed to patch it up 🙂
Hi Julie. A public forno has several advantages, camaraderie being one. There is also the fact that you can bake bigger things, or more things at the same time.
Thanks, Kevin. I am planning to give away my bread maker as well.
Thanks, chronicler.
Hi Maria. The good thing was that the focaccia was so good nobody noticed the less than perfect shape.
Congratulations on completing the DB challenge Simona. Both of your breads look delicious…I wish they were here!
Like you, my bread machine’s been relegated to one of the high shelves in the garage. The bread tastes great, but I don’t get anything out of assembling ingredients. Perhaps this Christmas is the year to donate it…
your bread buns looks so lovely, great with a bowl of soup! yummy
Simona, what a nice post! I just can’t stand bread making machines, it feels like cheating to me because bread has to be handled with feeling I think. kneaded with love
Thanks, Valli.
Hi Dolores: it looks like this is the year of recycled bread machines. Better than letting them gather dust on a shelf.
Thanks, Bev. I am actually planning to make onion soup tonight and will use some of the bread loaf (the buns are long gone).
Thanks, Ilva. I totally agree: a machine has no feelings, no love in it.
Your bread looks wonderful. I’m glad you had such a great time making it!
Very nice. I want to make the foccacia but I don’t have any fresh rosemary. I like that you made foccacine instead.
Paz
It really is special if we have people in our lives to pass traditions down to us. Even though you never saw your nonna make bread, I’m sure you inherited her ability. Beautiful bread!
Thanks Christina.
Hi Paz. I am lucky in that I planted some and it is doing very well. Oregano is also good on focaccia and the dried kind is good: it reminds me of my mother’s pizza.
Thanks Ivonne: I hope so, I know that she was a special woman.
I love being able to hear the Italian. I will have to show my children so they can work on their pronunciation.
Thanks BC and welcome. I hope the sound bites will be useful to them.
Fantastic roundup, Simona! Your “little bites” were indeed enticing . . .