According to the traditional recipe, the Schiaccia di Pasqua had to be left to rise for 100 hours: the preparation began on Tuesday of Holy Week by kneading a bit of flour, water, and yeast for each guest at the Easter lunch. The next evening, another handful of flour was added for each person, and this continued until Good Friday. After the Procession of the Dead Christ, the actual dough was prepared and left to rise until the following morning, then baked in a wood-fired oven. It was eaten on Easter day instead of the daily bread to accompany the blessed eggs, cheeses, and cured meats.
Below is a much simpler version of the recipe, adapted to make it more accessible and practical.
Difficulty: very difficult
Cost: low
Serves: 24/26 people
Preparation time: about 3 hours spread over 5 days
Cooking time: 90 minutes
Elban wine pairing: Elba Aleatico Passito D.O.C.G.
Ingredients
2.3 kg of flour, 600 g of sugar, 100 g of melted butter, 130 g of yeast, 12 eggs, one glass of rose water, half a glass of Strega liqueur, half a glass of brandy, half a glass of oil, 30 g of anise seeds.
Preparation
The evening before, prepare a yeast dough with 300 g of flour and 30 g of yeast dissolved in warm water.
The next morning, prepare another dough in the same way, adding two eggs. Mix the two doughs together to form a single loaf, and let it rise for at least 12 hours.
Make sure the dough rises well.
On a work surface, knead the risen dough with all the flour, the remaining eggs, the liqueurs, rose water, and the butter (previously melted slightly). In the meantime, soften the anise seeds in warm water and add them to the dough.
The dough must be worked for a long time: the more it is worked, the better the final result will be.
Divide the dough into six loaves and place them in six greased baking pans. Let them rise for a few hours, then brush the surface with egg yolks to give them the classic dark color. Bake at 200° until cooked.
Share on