I wonder how many of you knew that 2nd February was Pasta Madre Day. I didn’t, until Heather Jarman invited me to a bread event in Castelnuovo.
All over Italy bread starters were being given away along with instructions on how to make your own sour dough bread. What a great idea to encourage people to get cooking. There is absolutely nothing as good as fresh bread straight from your own oven…and it can be fun to make.
We arrived to find the table laden with different types of bread made from the same starter, little jars of which were lined up ready to be taken to their new homes.
Linda and friends were on hand with helpful advice for would be breadmakers.
My favourite bread of all was the stecche senza impasto. The dough is fairly wet and takes about 12 hours to prove and doesn’t require any kneading at all. It was delicious, with just the right amount of chewiness. (is that a word?)
For more helpful adice on bread making go to the Pasta Madre site…www.pastamadre.net It is in Italian, but perhaps you can get some help with translation.
Thank you Heather (from sapori-e-saperi) for inviting me along to this fun evening.
Amazing! I had no idea. I haven’t made bread for years and perhaps I should start again! The pane comunale in my area is not great at all..
By: Catherine on February 3, 2013
at 10:43 am
i often make bread at home in Brisbane. It is quite easy once you get the hang of it.
By: Debra Kolkka on February 4, 2013
at 7:44 am
Reblogged this on Greedybread and commented:
You all know how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE bread!! I am tearing my hair out as I was in Lucca this time last year….can’t believe i missed it….
Chcek out my Lucca adventures @ ilovelucca.co.nz
By: ilovelucca on February 3, 2013
at 10:54 am
This is the first time I have heard of Pasta Madre Day. You should introduce yourself to Heather. She may be able to offer your guests some interesting things to do.
By: Debra Kolkka on February 4, 2013
at 7:45 am
hi there
yes, i have been in contact with her for the last 9-10 months. Her wonderful adventures are in my newest and other tour….she was kind enough to let me interview her via email and i am just doing up the final draft to post shortly……she is a fountain of wonderful, wonderful knowledge and you truly feel her love and passion for the area:) I am just doing up an interview with Joanna from love bagni di lucca too…would you consider it? for later in the year….as i will possibly not be back in lucca till October- difficulties here sadly…
By: ilovelucca on February 4, 2013
at 9:19 am
I would have loved to go but the weather yesterday was terrible! We have a little bakery in our tiny village of Longoio – where bread is baked in a wood burning oven. It’s delicious and if you go to the coop in Fornoli you can buy it there. I also make my own bread using a variety of flours – great fun. there’s no excuse for making your own these days: bread-making machines are are a good substitute if you haven’y got a wood-burning oven.
By: Francis Pettitt on February 3, 2013
at 12:54 pm
Can you buy the bread in Longoio as well?
By: Debra Kolkka on February 4, 2013
at 7:49 am
I absolutely love sour dough bread. It is delicious! Whenever I go to San Francisco, I eat it all the time. It is great to see that this traditional kind of dough is becoming more popular all over the world. What has surprised me is to see sour dough castagnaccio, as the dough is generally unleavened. Did you have a chance to taste it?
By: mulino dominillo on February 3, 2013
at 1:59 pm
I must admit I am not a fan of some of the sour dough bread we get in Brisbane, it is actually sour. This bread was excellent and I did try the castagnaccio and it was delicious.
By: Debra Kolkka on February 4, 2013
at 7:50 am
I don’t think the castagnaccio was made with pasta madre. It was there because it’s castagnaccio season. Linda Turrichi (the cook who made it) adds apple, which a good variant to the traditional one.
By: Heather Jarman on February 5, 2013
at 12:43 pm
Thanks for that. The apple was a good addition, it was delicious.
By: Debra Kolkka on February 5, 2013
at 12:51 pm
drooling! There’s nothing like bread fresh out of the oven…. What a wonderful experience!
By: Where's Wiwi? on February 3, 2013
at 2:18 pm
You would have loved this bread. Linda does a great job.
By: Debra Kolkka on February 4, 2013
at 7:51 am
Never heard of this event before – a real eye opener. One of the basics we miss in the UK is fresh italian bread. We’ll definitely be investigating the little bakery in Longoio that Francis Pettit mentioned. One of the best breads i’ve tasted was in Sicily – Pane Pugliese, a delicious bread originating in Puglia, but which Sicilians produce aswell. Nice post Debra and Heather.
By: christopher oconnor on February 3, 2013
at 3:51 pm
The saltless Tuscan bread can be a bit tasteless, but there are so many varieties here, we are spoilt for choice.
By: Debra Kolkka on February 4, 2013
at 7:52 am
Feb 2 = Ground Hog day over, here but I much prefer the idea of joining a Pasta Madre Day 😀 …. Drooling at your pictures and your informative descriptions… I guess your next post will be of your bread making adventure?
By: dearrosie on February 3, 2013
at 4:52 pm
Perhaps you could start your own Pasta Madre Day. I won’t be making bread here. I am alone and I would eat it all myself…not a good idea.
By: Debra Kolkka on February 4, 2013
at 7:53 am
chewiness is a very good word! c
By: cecilia on February 3, 2013
at 8:40 pm
It was very good bread…just the way I like it.
By: Debra Kolkka on February 4, 2013
at 7:54 am
Can only imagine that unmistakable smell of delicious bread just baked.
By: dianne Cant on February 3, 2013
at 9:09 pm
It was all delicious…I tried it in the name of research.
By: Debra Kolkka on February 4, 2013
at 7:54 am
The cafe where I had breakfast yesterday had a quote from Don Quixote on their blackboard ‘All sorrows are less with bread’. I think I agree. I would love to have tasted some of the examples from the bread event.
By: Just Add Attitude on February 3, 2013
at 9:16 pm
I wonder if Pasta Madre Day happens outside Italy…the word Day is a bit of a clue.
By: Debra Kolkka on February 4, 2013
at 7:55 am
OMG, this sounds like my kind of event! I am a bread-pasta whore, if there ever was such a thing! And sour dough is my favorite!
Sorry to have been so absent recently. Selling our house in the US and moving to Ecuador has proven more all-consuming than I might have imagined.
Hugs,
Kathy
By: Kathryn McCullough on February 3, 2013
at 11:06 pm
I wish you had been here to share the bread. Good luck with your house.
By: Debra Kolkka on February 4, 2013
at 7:56 am
AH delicious! I can just imagine sinking my teeth into one of those: crisp on the outside, and soft inside. Yumyumyum 😀
By: Yasmin on February 4, 2013
at 1:07 am
What a pity you weren’t here to share the bread.
By: Debra Kolkka on February 4, 2013
at 7:56 am
Omigod Debra, your blog is really something I love to hate whenver you post about Italian food. Evn Italian bread are not the same bread here in the US. I guess no italian food compares to my side of the sphere. Oh yeah, Italian bread are hard to chew 😀 but I don’t care. 😀
By: rommel on February 4, 2013
at 4:24 am
Some styles of bread are difficult to chew, but the one I liked was just right.
By: Debra Kolkka on February 4, 2013
at 7:57 am
Yum, yum, yum! I would be in bread nirvana if I was there.
By: Eagle-Eyed Editor on February 4, 2013
at 9:20 am
I wish I could send you all a slice of the delicious bread.
By: Debra Kolkka on February 4, 2013
at 9:32 am
How fabulous that people gather to celebrate and share something so basic as bread. The Stecche Senze Impasto looks as if it would be really good dunked in olive oil. I love the saying “all sorrows are less with bread” – I think that’s probably true.
By: Jan on February 4, 2013
at 11:04 am
It was very good all by itself.
By: Debra Kolkka on February 4, 2013
at 11:53 am
Debra! Thank you for coming, for having appreciated my Stecche Senza Impasto and for writing this article full of enthusiasm.
By: Alessia on February 4, 2013
at 11:42 am
I really enjoyed the evening and meeting you. I think lots of people have clicked onto your website to find out more.
By: Debra Kolkka on February 4, 2013
at 11:53 am
What a great idea giving away a starter for sourdough! I must admit that I find the idea of creating a starter daunting so this would definitely kick start that 😀
By: Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella on February 4, 2013
at 12:06 pm
It is a good idea…I hope it spreads…like the starter.
By: Debra Kolkka on February 4, 2013
at 2:33 pm
Good bread is what i miss most in India and your post isn’t helping any 🙁 The entire place must have smelled heavenly!
By: Madhu on February 4, 2013
at 6:25 pm
I like the flat bread in India and roti (is that how you spell it?)
By: Debra Kolkka on February 4, 2013
at 8:22 pm
Yes, I love it too. But regular bread is hard to find.
By: Madhu on February 4, 2013
at 8:31 pm
…a good reason to make your own.
By: Debra Kolkka on February 5, 2013
at 6:11 am
I agree 🙂
By: Madhu on February 5, 2013
at 6:21 am
This sounds like my kind of event. There is nothing better than Italian breads.
By: Damommachef on February 4, 2013
at 11:20 pm
I love German bread too…and Finnish. They do those lovely rye breads, which we don’t get here in Italy.
By: Debra Kolkka on February 5, 2013
at 6:13 am
If somebody wants to know more about Pasta Madre or Mother Yeast could visit my blog where I have a special section dedicated to this wonderful world with many tips.
All is in english!
http://wp.me/p23dfk-1I
By: ilariasperfectrecipes.com on February 5, 2013
at 10:50 am
Thank you for that. I will certainly take a look.
By: Debra Kolkka on February 5, 2013
at 11:26 am
Heaven!
By: janinevasta on February 6, 2013
at 1:39 pm
I really want to try the slow proving bread.
By: Debra Kolkka on February 8, 2013
at 6:34 am
What a great event! I heard of it the other day on Twitter but didn’t know what it involved. Looks fun 🙂
By: Joanna on February 9, 2013
at 1:08 am
I wounder if it happens outside Italy.
By: Debra Kolkka on February 9, 2013
at 7:17 am
similar events are happing here in Italy even outside of the world day, to spread the knowledge, to give out samples of sour dough
here are some pictures of one of the latest of such events https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.513319742049854.1073741827.122382701143562&type=1
Ciao, Ludmilla
By: Ludmilla Wolf on April 24, 2013
at 9:12 am
Thank you for the information. It is great to see this happening.
By: Debra Kolkka on April 24, 2013
at 4:19 pm