pane alle erbe / fresh herb twist

'Fresh herb twist' is not the literal translation of pane alle erbe, but it is the one chosen by Daniel Leader, author of the book from which the recipe came: Local Breads, Sourdough and Whole-Grain Recipes from Europe's Best Artisan Bakers. I have recently become interested in developing my bread baking abilities, an interest fostered by a couple of recent Daring Bakers challenges. Thanks to my dear friend Christine, I learned about this book and, now that I have it, I have started to use it.

For my first sampling of the book, I chose an Italian bread that I had not tasted before: pane alle erbe (herb bread), which the author learned about in Alto Adige/Südtirol, a region in northern Italy. What attracted me to the recipe was the use of farina di segale (rye flour), together with wheat flour, and of fresh herbs: rosmarino, timo e basilico (rosemary, thyme and basil), the first two of whom grow in my little herb garden. The nice shape of the bread also played a role in my choice, since all my bread production until then had been of a rather conservative appearance.

The book in general and the recipe in particular include all sorts of instructions that contribute to the happy outcome of your efforts. I was so happy with the outcome that I made pane alle erbe  again within a few days. The second time, I intentionally left a portion of one of the twists aside, because I had decided to experiment with canederli, or knödel, which are gnocchi made with pane raffermo (bread that is a day or two old) that are typical of Trentino Alto Adige. Variations of this dish use different ingredients. I did not have a recipe, so I looked around the web and, among all the ones I found, I decided to use this one as my guide. I made some adjustments to the recipe, the most important one being the omission of speck, an ingredient I did not have. Speck is a product of Alto Adige/Südtirol: it is made by de-boning, then curing and finally smoking a pig's thigh (here you can see the different production phases). It is really good and I recommend you try it, if you have the chance.

I cut the bread, 6.5 oz., into 1/4-1/2" cubes and placed them in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, I beat two large eggs with a pinch of salt and a sprinkling of ground black pepper, then added half a cup of non-fat milk. I poured the mixture over the bread cubes and mixed well. I let the bread rest for over an hour, mixing every now and then to make sure it absorbed the egg mixture and therefore softened.

In the meantime, in a small frying pan sprayed with olive oil, I cooked a shallot (a bit more than 1 oz.), minced, together with half a teaspoon of minced fresh rosemary until it was soft. When it was cold, I added the shallot to the bread, together with a sprinkling of ground nutmeg, two tablespoons of grated parmigiano, two tablespoons of minced fresh parsley and 1/4 cup of regular white flour. I mixed well and let rest for about half an hour.

With the help of a small measuring cup, I scooped up enough bread mixture to shape 2" diameter balls with my hands. I let each ball roll on a plate with flour so that its surface was coated, then set aside. I ended up with eight canederli. I cooked them, four at a time, in a saucepan filled with vegetable broth. I used a slotted spoon to gently immerse the canederli in the simmering broth and kept them there for 15 minutes, making sure the broth remained in a nice simmering state.

To my husband, I served two knödel in a bowl with some of the broth. I had one asciutto (dry) together with some roasted squash. This being the first time I tried to make this dish, I didn't have a frame of reference to assess the result of my experiment. I can tell you that my husband liked it and I did too. I am planning to make this recipe again, using speck, if I can find it, or adding more cheese to the mixture. I would also like to try other variations. Here is an update on this recipe.

This is my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging, a food blogging event started over two years ago by blogger extraordinaire Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen, hosted this week by the founder herself. Here is the roundup of WHB #127.

---

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post: 

pane alle erbe

or launch the  pane alle erbe  audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

Comments

[Kalyn]

The bread sounds delicious, as do the knodel, which are intriguing. The closest thing I can think of to this is Matzoh balls, which of course are not the same, but they're helping me visualize what this would be like.

[bee]

gnocci with old bread? what a great idea. dan leader's recipes are fantastic. i've seen him demonstrate sourdough on TV.

[Alex]

Il pane intrecciato è bellissimo e i canederli sono una mia passione. Riesco a mangiarne una quantità vergognosa!! Proverò a fare il pane con le erbe anche io, ora che ho piantato tutte le erbe sul balcone. Un caro saluto

[Maryann]

Hi there Simona!
This is an interesting recipe.
Knodel ..sounds like something I would love. Thanks :)

[Lucy]

Beautiful, Simona.

Rye, thyme and rosemary - what a lovely combination for early spring.

[Simona]

Hi Kalyn. My husband said the same thing.

Hi Bee. I like the book a lot. Tomorrow I will try another bread and see what happens.

Ciao Alex. Spero che le erbe che hai piantato crescano bene. E' troppo carino usare qualcosa che cresce davanti ai nostri occhi.

Hi Maryann. They are good and I will definitely make them again. They are also fun to eat.

Thanks Lucy. I agree.

[lenny]

Deve essere un pane molto fragrante e gustoso, grazie alla presenza delle erbe.
Mi sbaglio?
Baci

[Kaykat]

Mmm ... herb bread - sounds perfect for spring :)

[Susan from Food Blogga]

Oh, that's great. I just recently learned about speck, and now I see it here. I just love the sound of your bread baked full of savory herbs.

[Simona]

Non ti sbagli, Lenny. La quantita' di erbe e' ben equilibrata e il loro sapore non sovrasta quello del pane.

I agree, Kaykat.

Speck is really good, Susan. I'll see if I can find it somewhere: it would be nice.

[Laurie Constantino]

Lovely bread Simona, but it was the canederli that really caught my eye. They look absolutely delicious.

[Marie]

Fresh herbs with homemade bread, a match made in heaven!

[Baol]

Wonderful!

[Susan]

Dumplings in broth, the ultimate bread and water.

It's fascinating to see the influences of history and region flavoring cuisines.
An especially interesting post, Simona.

[Christine]

I don't know how this post slipped by me as I thought I checked your blog just yesterday and didn't see it. Maybe I'm dreaming.
I love the idea of the knodel cooked in broth and think I'm going to try this soon. How did you like the rye flour?

[Simona]

Thanks Laurie. They are and I will make them again.

I agree, Marie.

Thanks, Baol.

Well said, Susan, thanks.

Hi Christine. I like rye flour. In this bread and another one I tried the other day it is used together with wheat (I will clarify this in the post), but I think you can taste it.

[katie]

How interesting! I have never tried making anything like that - yet you make it sound so easy... Not to mention tasty.

[Lisa]

The bread is beautiful, and it sounds delicious. And I'm so happy to find out about the canederli; I've never heard of them before! In broth, mmm, that would be right up my alley. How fun.

[Lori Lynn @ Taste With The Eyes]

I was thinking about Matzoh balls too, just like Kalyn, especially since Passover is around the corner and I'm getting ready to make dozens and dozens. Great post!

[jann Mumford]

Anytime I can find a bread flavored with herbs, it is on my dinner table! Sounds like a wonderful book that Christine referred you to~she has so many resources! I bet your kitchen smells wonderful with breads in the oven........ Will be catching up on your past blogs this weekend,ciao

[Simona]

Hi Katie. Compared to other breads in the book, this is relatively easy. I will tackle some of the more complex breads next.

Thanks Lisa. They are fun, actually, a bit unusual and very versatile.

One of these days I have to look at a recipe for Matzoh balls. Good luck about your dozens and dozens, Lori Lynn.

Hi Jann. The smell in the kitchen is indeed a great bonus, when making bread. Every time, though, I must explain to my husband about not cutting freshly-baked bread right away.

[dance]

The recipe sounds good, but why on earth do you use non-fat milk, what a shame for a true European! Especially you are even from Italy...

[Simona Carini]

The recipe can certainly be made with other types of milk and if someone tries to make it with non-dairy products, I'd like to know about the result. I am afraid I disagree with your negative view of non-fat milk and of the people who consume it. I can assure you I started using non-fat milk when I was still in Italy. The kind and brand of milk we consume in our household has to do with dietary concerns and personal preference.