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Pane di San Giuseppe
Sculpted festival breads
Pane di San Giuseppe: western Sicily's sculpted breads for the St Joseph's Day altars
For St Joseph's Day on 19 March, families in western Sicily (Salemi, Trapani, Marsala) build 'tavolate' or altars to the saint, laden with ornate, sculpted breads: beards for Joseph, a staff, flowers, birds, fish and the hand of God. The breads are later given to the poor and to guests. The dough is a firm, plain semolina bread, so it holds fine detail, brushed with egg and scattered with sesame. Shape a few simple ones first; they are as much decoration as food. It is vegan, glazed with water rather than the egg some bakers use. Chef's tip: keep the dough firm and rest it so it doesn't spring back; soft dough loses its shapes in the oven.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 ½ cups lukewarm waterabout
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp waterfor brushing (or beaten egg if not vegan)
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ½ lb fine durum wheat semolina (semola rimacinata), ⅛ oz fast-action dried yeast and 2 tsp salt. Add 1 ½ cups lukewarm water and 1 tbsp olive oil and knead for 12–15 minutes to a firm, smooth dough; it should be stiffer than ordinary bread dough.
15 minStep 2: Cover and rest for 1 hour. It should rise only a little.
Step 3: Shape your breads: roll ropes and plait them into rings; snip a disc with scissors into a fringed beard; roll a long staff with a curled top; cut leaves and petals with a small knife and press them onto a base. Use a little water to glue pieces.
45 minStep 4: Set the shapes on lined trays, cover and leave for 30 minutes.
Step 5: Brush with 3 tbsp water and scatter with 2 tbsp sesame seeds. Snip extra detail with scissors.
Step 6: Bake at 400°F (350°F fan) for 20–30 minutes, depending on size, until golden and hollow-sounding underneath. A common mistake is a long final rise, which blurs the detail.
25 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 200 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pane di San Giuseppe take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 90 minutes to prepare and 30 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 vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
- What can I use instead of sesame seeds?
- Poppy seeds or finely chopped pumpkin seeds, same amount.
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