There is one thing that has brought together Italians far and wide more than anything in the past few weeks. In this difficult time, homemade bread quickly became a prominent method to spend the quarantine in a productive and healthy way.
QUARANTINE BREAD MANIA
On social media, everyone shares photos of their creations, and grocers are rapidly running out of flour and yeast. In fact, these are the only ingredients you will need to make bread: flour (though there are many different kinds), yeast, and water.
Bread-making is a simple, but very long, process. The leavening can last many hours, and you must carefully select the correct proportion of flour to water.
Italy’s lavish culinary tradition flaunts many varieties of bread, a staple on any Italian table.
TO BAKE BREAD BECAME A RITUAL
Bread-making is a ritual — you experience something magical when you prepare the dough and wait for it to rise. During the coronavirus crisis, homemade bread is replacing soccer as Italy’s favorite pastime! Even people that have never cooked in their lives are taking advice from friends, mothers, and grandmas to try their hands at preparing this staple!
DON’T FORGET ABOUT BRUSCHETTA!
Making bread is fun, healthy, and keeps you busy. To achieve good results, however, you may have to try many times. But don’t despair over your overcooked and under-risen loaves: even the toughest slices can turn into delicious bruschetta. Toast a slice with a bit of extra virgin olive oil and chopped garlic. The most common topping for bruschetta is cherry tomatoes, but you can choose any ingredient: tuna, mozzarella cheese, or one of many Agromonte bruschetta toppings! Agromonte offers a variety of spreads, with flavors including artichoke, roasted pepper, artichoke and cherry tomato, and black or green olives.
If you make a lot of bread, or if your experiment didn’t quite work out, make bruschetta!
