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Bisciola
Buckwheat fruit and nut bread
Bisciola: Valtellina's buckwheat Christmas bread with figs, raisins and walnuts
Bisciola is the Christmas bread of the Valtellina, the Alpine valley in northern Lombardy known for buckwheat. It is a soft, dome-shaped loaf of rye or buckwheat and wheat, enriched with butter, egg and honey and crammed with dried figs, raisins and walnuts, eaten from St Lucy's Day to Epiphany, often toasted with butter. Some bakers splash grappa on the fruit; this recipe uses warm water and is alcohol-free. It keeps for a week. Chef's tip: buckwheat has no gluten, so keep it to a third of the flour, or the loaf will be heavy and crumbly.
- Total time
- 85 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
- 4 oz raisins
- 4 oz dried figsdiced
- ½ cup warm waterfor soaking
- 10 ½ oz strong white flour
- 5 ½ oz buckwheat flour
- 1 ¾ oz caster sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- ¾ cup lukewarm milk
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 egg
- 2 ½ oz buttersoft
- 3 ½ oz walnutschopped
- 1 egg yolkbeaten with 1 tbsp milk
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Soak 4 oz raisins and 4 oz dried figs in ½ cup warm water for 30 minutes, then drain well and pat dry.
30 minStep 2: Mix 10 ½ oz strong white flour, 5 ½ oz buckwheat flour, ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast, 1 ¾ oz caster sugar and 1 tsp salt. Add ¾ cup lukewarm milk, 2 tbsp honey and 1 egg and knead for 5 minutes, then knead in 2 ½ oz butter a little at a time for another 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and slightly tacky.
10 minStep 3: Cover and leave in a warm place for 1½ hours, until doubled.
Step 4: Flatten the dough, scatter over the soaked fruit and 3 ½ oz walnuts and fold and knead gently until evenly spread. Shape into a tight round and set on a lined tray. Cover and leave for 45 minutes, until puffy.
Step 5: Brush with 1 egg yolk. Bake at 350°F (325°F fan) for 40–45 minutes, until dark golden and hollow-sounding underneath; the centre should read about 198°F. A common mistake is pulling it out early because the dark buckwheat crust looks done: tap the base to check.
45 minStep 6: Cool on a rack for at least an hour before slicing.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 310 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bisciola take?
- About 85 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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Perfect for:Christmas