Coppia Ferrarese

A stiff lard dough rolled into ropes and twisted, baked until the arms snap.

Not vegetarian — contains lard.

Ingredients

• 500 g strong white flour
• 200 ml water
• 60 g lard
• 7 g dried yeast
• 1 teaspoon malt extract or honey
• 12 g salt

Method

1. Mix everything and knead 12 minutes. THIS DOUGH IS THE OPPOSITE OF A CIABATTA: about 40% water, stiff enough to stand on its own, and it wants real kneading rather than folding.
2. Prove 1 hour.
3. Divide into six. Roll each piece into a long thin rope, about 40 cm, thicker in the middle and tapering to the ends.
4. Take two ropes, lay them crossed, and TWIST THE FOUR THIN ENDS into spirals, joining them at the thick centre. The shape matters structurally and not only for looks: the thin twisted arms bake to a hard shell and the thick middle stays soft, and the bread is eaten for that contrast.
5. Prove 45 minutes, uncovered, so a skin forms.
6. Bake at 210C for 25 to 30 minutes until a twisted arm snaps cleanly when you break it.
7. Cool fully. It keeps hard for days and is meant to.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Italy · All recipes