Pan dei Morti is a traditional dessert prepared in various regions of Northern Italy, from Lombardy to Liguria, for the Feast of the Dead. Depending on local traditions, the recipe is slightly revisited both in terms of ingredients and shape, which usually tends to be oval and a little flattened.
Like other typical delicacies of the period, Pan dei Morti originally served to offer refreshment to the souls of the deceased visiting relatives’ homes. In the past, in fact, it was believed that the dead could temporarily return to the world of the living and care was taken to welcome them to the table with dignity.
The custom could derive from another tradition widespread in various parts of Italy, which consisted of distributing homemade bread to those who attended funerals or wakes. Elsewhere it was offered to the poor.
Although the name mistakenly makes one think of a loaf like the Mexican “Pan de Muerto”, in reality they are biscuits prepared with crumbled dry biscuits, dried fruit, cocoa and other ingredients that vary depending on the interpretations.
Pan dei Morti: the Lombard recipe
Over time, all kinds of variations have emerged, but here we propose the Lombard recipe from the “CasaDolceCasa ArosioMarco” Youtube page.
Ingredients
Preparation
The preparation is simple: break the raisins in water to let them cool and in the meantime chop the almonds without reducing them to flour. In a bowl, mix the egg white and sugar quickly just to combine them, then add cocoa, crumbled biscuits and amaretti biscuits. Add the almonds and drained raisins, then flavor the mixture with vin santo, cinnamon and nutmeg. Complete the powders with flour and yeast and mix everything with a spoon until a sticky and not too smooth dough comes out: if it is perfect, you have the wrong recipe. At this point it is covered with cling film and left to rest in the fridge for about half an hour: it helps the biscuits absorb the moisture and make the dough workable.
Once cold, dust the work surface with icing sugar and portion the dough into 60–70 g pieces, shaping them into small sausages with slightly pointed ends. They are lightly coated in icing sugar and crushed with the palm of the hand before placing them on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Cooking takes place in a hot oven at 180°C for approximately 12–15 minutes, until the typical cracks appear on the surface. It is essential to avoid letting them dry out too much inside: a minute less is better than one more.
The final result must be crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, as tradition dictates. Being a popular recipe, you can modify it without too much trouble: raisins out and dried figs in, almonds replaced with hazelnuts or pine nuts, flavorings changed or eliminated if you don’t like them. The important thing is that the dessert “of the dead” remains, but it is so good that it makes the living happy.
Follow the instructions in the video step by step and happy “Bread of the Dead” to everyone!
Here is another recipe:
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