If you live near an Italian bakery, you need to make sure that you head down to the bakery to pick up some fresh bread to enjoy at home on a regular basis. At your local Italian bakery, you are going to find some unique styles of bread that you are really delicious.
Italian Bread #1: Focaccia
Focaccia is a simple bread made out of water, salt, olive oil, yeast, and high-gluten flour. It is a flatbread that is often compared to pizza dough. The bread itself is often sprinkled with herbs, such as rosemary and large salt crystals.
There are lots of ways to use this flatbread. It can be used to make a nice sandwich. It can be served and dipped into olive oil. To eat it like an Italian, you can drizzle it with some olive oil, add some pitted olives, and some pancetta with a little rosemary leaves. It is best to eat when it is warm.
Italian Bread #2: Ciabatta
Ciabatta is made with salt, water, olive oil, wheat flour, and yeast. Ciabatta bread is a long, thin bread. The crust of ciabatta bread is often really tough. Ciabatta bread is served in a variety of different ways. In Italy, it is common dipped or drizzled with olive oil and some fresh herbs. It is also dipped in pasta sauce and is commonly used to mop up the pasta sauce on one's plates.
In the United States, ciabatta is often used as a sandwich bread that is paired with basic meat and cheese combinations. It is a strong bread and can support a nice sandwich, although the hard crust can make it a challenge to bite through.
Italian Bread #3: Piadina
If you want some bread that would be great to make a sandwich out of for lunch, try some piadina. Piadina is a flatbread that is made out of water, salt, olive oil, and flour. It is made fresh and is usually filled up with meats, cheeses, or even jams. You can take a piadina and fill it with some of your favorite sandwich toppings. It has more of a consistency of a pita and is a great bread for lunch.
Italian Bread #4: Panettone
If you want to try more of a dessert bread, ask your Italian bakery if they have any panettone in stock. This is a dessert style bread that is made specifically for the holiday season. It contains raisins as well as candied fruit and is often eaten around Christmas and the New Year in Italy.
It is often compared to fruitcake, although it is its own unique bread. This bread takes several days to make due to a long curing process, which is why it is generally not served year-round.
If you are looking for some bread to go with your pasta, some bread to serve as a sandwich, or just some tasty bread to enjoy, head down to your local Italian bread bakery and try out some of their offerings.
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