Monte Sant’Angelo Bread

It is one of the few soft wheat breads in Puglia. In the hot and arid plains of this region, the cultivation of soft wheat is in fact not very common: usually durum wheat is sown and for this reason many of the breads that are characteristic of southern Italy are made using semolina flour.
The loaf is round and large, sometimes very large, the size of the loaf can range from 0.5 kg to 5 kg each, it can reach 80-90 cm in diameter and a height of 13-14 cm. The crust is crunchy, fragrant and the colour of almonds, while the crumb is soft and compact. Its fragrance remains intact for many days after being cooked; the larger sizes are able to retain it for up to 15 days.
The flours used come from soft grains varieties that are linked to the traditional cereal crops found in Capitanata (a historical area which roughly corresponds to northern Puglia), such as Majorca, Rossella, Risciola, Frassineto and Bianchetta. Each oven has its own sourdough, which is made from a portion of the previous dough. The sea salt comes from the nearby Margherita di Savoia salt pans. The cooking takes place in refractory stone ovens, which are often very old and only turned off on Christmas and New Year’s days. The stone ovens are perfect for a gradual and homogeneous cooking, which favours the formation of a crunchy crust and a soft and well-risen crumb. Once out of the oven, the loaves are placed vertically on the shelves, to ensure that the moisture comes out easily and does not remain inside.
Monte Sant’Angelo bread is present in traditional local recipes based on stale bread: in “pancotto” – a rather liquid vegetable soup that involves the addition of pieces of bread – in panzanella, or in a meatball sauce with breadcrumbs, cheese and eggs. The numerous recipes made with vegetables (zucchinis, eggplants, capsicums) or with stuffed sea molluscs (cuttlefish and squid) should not be forgotten either.

Season

Monte Sant'Angelo bread is available all year round.