Sunday 28 December 2008

Dolce di Pane

Just thought I’d pop in a quick post about an unusual Italian Bread Pudding Cake called Dolce di Pane I made this Yuletide. The original recipe came from The Modern Cook, or the True Method of Cooking Well 1849 by Pietro Santi Puppo and reproduced in The Heritage of Italian Cooking by Lorenza de Medici. Here is my slightly tweaked version (just can’t follow any recipe without adding or subtracting a twist, I guess it's my control-freakism!)

1lb crustless fresh Italian white bread
2 cups milk
drop of Cointreau (optional)
3oz vanilla sugar
4 egg yolks
grated rind (zest only) one lemon
pinch cinnamon
4 oz mixed glacé fruits (I used one each from a gift box of pear, fig, ginger, orange, apricot, cherry and angelica)
1 tablespoon of butter for double greasing and lining non-stick load tin(s)

Tear the bread to pieces and soak in milk for an hour, then squeeze out (very little, if any, actually comes out, depending on loaf type). At this point I add the Cointreau. Combine with egg yolks, sugar and lemon zest. Add cinnamon and diced glacé fruits and mix. Fill double lined and greased tins and bake 180 degrees C for an hour or maybe a tad less depending on tin sizes (I like two small). Or cook in Aga in top oven under a cold shelf.

This makes a nice change to the rich butter desserts at this time of year and is good with a cuppa mid afternoon or even breakfast. Above is a photograph of my attempt. Below is my collection of French Sarreguemines ware similar to the breakfast plates shown in the recipe illustration.

5 comments:

Philip Bewley said...

This does not look difficult. we will have to try this. i have to say, I do love this. I have used this(purchased) cut into circles and then dipped and fried like french toast. That was for a dessert, but fresh with coffee sounds transporting.

Woodland Fay said...

Hello again Philip, Having trouble leaving comments on my own page, what's that about! I've had to change my settings to 'includes Anonymous Users' to try again! I was trying to tell you about 'pain perdu' and that all these bread, milk and egg recipes are simple and successful if one uses good quality ingredients like non-plastic rustic bread. Check out a posh version (far more complicated than necessary, but not stipulating real bread) at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/painperdueggybreadwi_85151.shtml
Also a drop of the hard stuff seems obligatory.

Woodland Fay said...

Philip At last Eureka! It's a problem with the 'Pop up window' v 'Embedded below post' first only working for me. I must have typed the above five times missing a little more out each time. So sorry, you got a truncated message in the end, argh well, we live to fight another day!

Anonymous said...

Your blog is so sweet and kind. I loved being here today and thank you for the recipe. Love your dishes too. I collect whiteware.

chaiselongue said...

Thanks for 'faving' me and leading me to your blog. This Italian pudding sounds delicious and I'll try it - although like you I always change recipes a bit, depending on ingredients available or my taste. I made pan forte for the first time this year and that was really good! Your shelf of pottery is beautiful.