If you ask the average Italian what their favourite holiday is, nine out of ten times they’ll say Easter. Can’t really tell you why, but I can tell you the average Maremmano is no different.
This week has been hectic in my household. My mother-in-law has stopped by and covered every available space with Easter paraphernalia. As I write this, a bunny with a basket full of eggs is staring me down – it’s slightly disconcerting.
Bunnies aside, it’s a beautiful time to be in the Tuscan countryside. The cold is forgotten as family comes together for Easter Sunday.
The day starts with a special breakfast of freshly made sweets, eggs that have been blessed by the local priest and sliced hams. A barbecued spring lamb adorns the lunch table, while dinner is a hearty affair of leftovers and Pepto-Bismol.
It takes a lot of work behind the scenes to put on the grand production that is Easter Sunday. I have spent the morning working feverishly with my parents-in-law to make the topic of today’s post – La Schiaccia di Pasqua.
La Schiaccia di Pasqua is a sort of panetone. It’s light and airy, flavoured with aniseed and limoncello. Former bakers, Ma and Pa would make hundreds of these in the week leading up to Easter Sunday.
They’d also open their bakery to the local woman who would bring their own lovingly mixed schiaccie to rise and be baked in the warm baker’s ovens.
My father-in-law says one of the highlights of Easter was listening to the woman argue about who had the best recipe. It was serious competition. No breakfast table is complete on Easter Sunday without a Schiaccia di Pasqua. It’s a tradition that has existed in the Maremma for centuries.
Today we made 20 schiaccie. Former bakers don’t do anything by halves, so it was an industrial affair. Six kilos of flour, an industrial mixer and two pizza ovens later, and we now have a house full of these fluffy treats.
I’ve reduced the recipe down to a respectable four schiaccie, which is the right amount for the home kitchen.
La Schiaccia di Pasqua is the perfect way to bring a little slice of Tuscany to your Easter celebrations. This is the same award-winning recipe my parents-in-law used in their bakery. It’s easy to make, but will look very impressive on your dinner table or as a gift.
For the perfect schiaccie, make sure all your bakeware and bowls are room temperature.
Schiaccia di pasqua
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 1 ¾ cups sugar
- 67 grams yeast
- 60ml limoncello or other lemon-flavoured liquor
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds
- zest of half a lemon
- ¼ cup (65 grams) melted butter
- pinch of salt
- 1 kilo flour
- 300ml water
- 1 tsp saffron
.
Method
In a medium sized bowl, place the eggs and sugar and beat with an electric mixer until pale and thick. While that’s whisking, dissolve the yeast in a quarter of a cup of warm water. Place to one side.
Place the limoncello, beaten egg mixture, fennel seeds, lemon zest, melted butter, salt and a ½ cup of the flour in the bowl of your electric mixer and beat with the dough hooks. Mix until all the salt has dissolved into the dough. Then add your yeast and start mixing again. You’ll need patience for this bit as you have to add the remaining flour and water bit by bit while the machine mixes.
You’re looking for an elastic consistency. The dough should come off the sides of the mixer bowl easily, form a nice ball and be firm to touch. You might not need all the flour or water, which is why add them gradually.
If the dough is too soft, add another ¼ of flour. If it’s too hard, add another splash of water. The entire mixing process could take up to 20 minutes, but it’s worth the effort!
Once you’re happy with the consistency of your dough, add your saffron and give it a final mix. Flip the dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. If you find it’s too sticky, knead in a drizzle of vegetable oil.
Place your dough into an oiled bowl. Cover with a clean tea towel and put it somewhere to rise for about an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
Turn your dough once more out onto a floured surface. Divide into four equal pieces. Put a little oil on your palm and knead the dough pieces with a scooping motion. You want to slowly shape the dough into a perfect ball almost as if you were making bread rolls.
Place each piece into a buttered 15cm wide bundt tin. If you don’t have a bundt tin, you can use an oven safe pudding bowl or just place your schiacche in an oiled tray, leaving enough space between them to avoid them sticking together in the oven. Cover with a tea towel and place them back in a warm place to rise for another half an hour or until the dough has doubled again.
Once you’re happy that it’s risen, bake in a preheated over at 200°C for 50 minutes or until it’s golden and brown. Buona Pasqua!