Biscuit bread

In the Vibonese area, this type of bread is called "tozzulu", or hard bread, in other words, bread baked twice. It is a Calabrian speciality that is made with bread dough.

This very hard bread is left in the oven beyond the traditional baking time: at least a couple of days! Needless to say, it should be eaten fragrant, but to soften it, the Calabrians soak it in water. Its preparation requires several days of work and many phases that follow one another: the dough, the leavening, the double baking.

Ingredients for making biscuit bread

  • 1kg of durum wheat flour
  • 75g of natural yeast
  • Salt to taste
  • Water to taste

How to make Calabrian toasted bread

Start by mixing 250g of flour with the yeast dissolved in warm water, then knead until the dough is soft to the touch. Now put it to rest in a switched-off oven until its volume increases.

Now you can make the bread: pour the remaining flour into a large container and make a hole in the centre into which you will place the risen dough, which you will dissolve in warm water and a little fine salt. The dough must be kneaded vigorously.

Dust the work surface with flour and give the dough the shape you prefer. Shape the dough into small loaves of about 14-15cm in diameter with a 4cm hole in the centre and leave them to rise for about two hours.

Preheat the oven to 250°, put it in the oven and cook for about 35 minutes, lowering the oven to 200°. Take the rolls out of the oven, let them cool down and, using a fork, divide them in half. Put them back into the warm oven to dry until they are golden brown on the surface. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.