Pan di Ramerino is a Florentine Easter tradition, large chewy rolls (to give an idea of their size) delightfully flavored with rosemary and raisins. Though you'll now find them in almost every bakery throughout the winter, in the past they were made on Maundy Thursday (the day before Good Friday), marked with the Cross, and sold by street vendors outside the churches. To make a patch you'll need:
Prep Time: 90 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 3 pounds (1.5 k) risen bread dough (see below note)
- The leaves of a sprig of rosemary, chopped (about 1 tablespoon -- I wouldn't use dried rosemary)
- 1/2 pound (200 g) raisins, Zibibbo if possible
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- A pinch of salt
Preparation:
We begin with the note: Italian markets and bakers sell risen dough for people who want to make something that calls for bread dough, but don't have the time or the experience to start from scratch.If you do, you may want to make your favorite plain bread dough (all sorts of good information on how to make bread dough).
Sauté the chopped rosemary in the olive oil, and then work it into the dough, together with the remaining ingredients. Break the dough into about 35 rolls, and in the meantime heat your oven to 400 F (200 C). Put the pan di ramerino rolls on lightly floured cookie sheets, brush them with a drop of olive oil, and bake them until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and dry. Serve at when cool.
