The recipe for Pan co' Santi
Pan co' Santi (meaning Bread with the Saints) is a fruit bread eaten in fall and has been made for centuries in Siena and throughout the area, from the Crete to the Val d'Orcia, on the occasion of All Saints’ Day and generally during the months of October and November: unlike other pastries, which are now produced all year round, Pan co' Santi is made specifically in this period.
As with all ancient Sienese pastry products, dried fruits and spices are the main ingredients in Pan co' Santi.
Here is the recipe for making it at home, keeping in mind the timing: you need to start the night before and finish it the next morning!
Ingredients
- 1100 g gluten-rich flour
- 660 g water
- 11 g fresh brewer's yeast
- 200 g sugar
- 100 g lard
- 40 g extra virgin olive oil
- 17 g salt
- 6.5 g pepper
- 60 g raisins
- 490 g shelled walnuts
- a sprig of rosemary
Method
First soak the raisins in water for a few minutes until they soften and, once drained, let them dry. Put them aside.
Place a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and brown the walnuts well, along with the washed and dried sprig of rosemary. Then let the walnuts cool and remove the rosemary.
Mix all the ingredients together and lastly add the walnuts and raisins.
When the dough is firm, let it rest for 1 hour at room temperature.
Next, transfer it to an oiled container, cover it with a tea towel and store in the refrigerator overnight.
In the morning the dough will have doubled in size. At this point shape it into loaves: each loaf should weigh about 500 g.
Let it rise again until it has doubled in volume (the time depends on many factors, such as room temperature and humidity).
Brush the surface of the Pan co' Santi with egg yolk and bake at 180° C until cooked.
It will take about 40 to 50 minutes. To be sure, test it with a toothpick: if it is dry when it comes out, the Pan co' Santi is ready.
Before removing it from the oven, let it cool a little.
Suggestions
Red wine is not used in this recipe, but if you want a darker-colored Pan co’ Santi, simply remove a small amount of water and replace it with the same amount of red wine.
