Maroggia’s Mill Cookbook: Basmati Rice Sandwiches / Il Ricettario del Mulino di Maroggia: Panini al riso basmati

For some months now I have been getting in the mail the Swiss bakers, pastry chefs and confectioners newspaper, Panissimo. An interesting read which informs of all the news revolving around the world of baking and a huge inspiration for the development of new recipes. In fact every now and then the Richemont School publishes its recipes for delicious breads and confectioneries. And that’s how I discovered “risotto bread”, a bread enriched with cooked rice and other flavorings. Obviously I could not refrain myself from experimenting and trying to work out a new recipe of my own for Maroggia’s Mill Cookbook, and thus basmati bread was born. A nice find, a bread with a soft and fragrant crumb delightfully perfumed as only Indian rice can be. I baked the buns for the first picnic of the warm season and my friends and faithful guinea pigs liked them very much. The recipe is very simple and quick, with a short proofing, but you can experiment stretching the rest of the dough in order to get a lighter, honeycombed crumb. Are you ready for the inebriating scent of these sandwiches?

Ècole de Boulangerie de Panissimo: Marguerite

Last month I was so taken by Easter Festive Breads (fortunately all went down well) I didn’t post the bread for Panissimo’s École. You probably won’t believe it but at the beginning of April my bread for the École de Boulangerie de Panissimo – the Marguerite – was already baked and photographed. But then came Twelve Loaves, a couple of recipes Michela and I cooked together and some other projects and there was no space for another blog post.

Panissimo: Bao Bunnies filled with Greeen Azuki / Panissimo: Coniglietti di pane al vapore ripieni di marmellata di azuki verdi

Panissimo is back, and it’s monthly theme too. As for March Easter is all the rave. In fact it’s all over blogs, Facebook groups and forums. Since I didn’t want to post the same recipe for different event/recipe collections this time around I decided to shift to something not too much complicated and fun for Panissimo’s post.

Panissimo’s Ecole de boulangerie: Le Boulot / Panissimo e la sua Ecole de boulangerie: il Boulot/Baulotto

It has become a habit lately, to defer my post for Panissimo‘s École de Boulangerie. Between one thing and another posting the École bread of the current month has become more of a challenge, and in the end I decided to just let go! Overdoing it now is not an option, as it would mean saturate the blog on almost a daily basis. I’d rather stick to quality – both in the recipes and pictures – than rush for the next post. The chosen bread shape for the month of March was boulot, a loaf with a nice central slash. Bread slashing, my damnation!

Easter Bread: Hot Cross Buns / Pane Pasquale: Hot cross buns

Yet another month and Panissimo is back again. March marked the beginning of the “Easter leavened season”, which is usually known for complex and rich in fat recipes. Usually the time required for testing and improving these recipes is significant.

Panissimo’s Ecole de boulangerie: La Coupe Saucisson / Panissimo e la sua Ecole de boulangerie: la coupe saucisson

Panissimo also has it’s little school of baking, and every month we are given homeworks in the guise of a new bread shape. Last month finally my friend Michela’s wishes were met, and the shape we had to bake is this very nice saucisson which she had been wanting to make from the start.

Panissimo February: Ticinese bread / Panissimo Febbraio: Pane alla ticinese

Panissimo’s theme for this month was regional breads. As soon as I read Sandra’s post I knew I would be baking pane alla ticinese, one my favourite breads as a kid. Funnily enough my first article for Azione was about this special kind of bread, a thing which brought back to mind many colourful memories about my childhood and the afternoon snack I used to eat with my friends: bread and chocolate.

Panissimo and Ethnic Bread: Turkish Pide / Panissimo e i pani etnici: la Pide turca

Panissimo‘s theme for the start of 2014 immediately grabbed my attention: Ethnic breads. I love the cuisine of distant cultures and countries, especially the ones of India and Middle East.

L’école de boulangerie de Panissimo: Epi with Wholewheat and AP flour / L’école de Boulangerie de Panissimo: Epi di farina integrale e farina 00

Like every month in Panissimo’s bread bakers group we have been asked to try out a new shape for our virtual baking school.

October’s Panissimo: Farina bona, potatoes and walnuts yeasted bread rolls / Panissimo di Ottobre: Panini di farina bona, patate e noci

When reading this month’s theme for Panissimo challenge, ancient/special flours, there was no doubt, farina bona would be one of the ingredients I would use. Farina bona is a very special cornflour, finely ground and toasted, with a earthy deep perfume reminiscent of roasted hazelnuts, butterscotch and freshly popped corn. Used for centuries in Val Osernone, in the italian part of Switzerland, this flour went gradually lost until recent times when, probably following the latest trends in reviving regional/traditional ingredients and recipes, it has had a strong comeback on our tables.