Why Have I Never Eaten Pork-Studded Bread Before?
Credit: Sarah DiGregorio
When looking over the Village Voice's food blog, I spotted this photo, which illustrated Sarah DiGregorio's review of a new bakery in Brooklyn. The name alone stopped me in my tracks:
Lard bread.
Have ever two words sounded so sweet together? (No, bacon chocolate does not count. Bacon chocolate is disgusting.) Turns out, lard bread is a New York Italian specialty that descended from a Neapolitan bread called casatiello, enriched with lard and studded with salami and cheese. The Brooklyn Bread Cafe's version comes speckled with browned prosciutto, and it's apparently not the best example of the genre.
I called Columbia City Bakery, Bakery Nouveau, Macrina, and Essential, and no one had even heard of lard bread, though several of the counter people I spoke to responded to my question with the same, quasi-breathless wonder in their voices as I did when I first heard the phrase.
Seattle bakers, get on it.
3 comment(s)
ts says:
Not quite lard bread, but Macrina's savory ham and cheese scones are an option, especially warm from the bakery oven.
Posted On: Tuesday, Dec. 30 2008 @ 4:38PM
Not hallacas says:
Venezuelan pan de jamón czan probably be found somewhere around here this time of year. It definitely meets the lard bread criteria, complete with lard and ham pieces.
Posted On: Tuesday, Dec. 30 2008 @ 6:18PM
CK says:
I don't understand the recipe at italianmade.com. It has the lard being mixed with the flour and water at first and then folded in later. It seems the first time is probably an error. What about the eggs? They just bake on top of the bread, still in their shells? And I have no idea what 1,8 oz. yeast is - 1.8 oz.?
Posted On: Wednesday, Dec. 31 2008 @ 11:08AM