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italian peppered fruit bread (paxpepato)

(1 rating)
cookiequeen avatar
Recipe by
Peggi Anne Tebben
@cookiequeen
Granbury, TX

Another Italian Bread to try ladies. Panpepato has been eaten in central Italy since at least 1300, the date of earliest manuscript recipe for it. It is probably the original ancestor of English and American fruitcake and plum-pudding. Originally the dough was allowed to rise; some later versions omit this. The chocolate was added about 200 years ago. Despite modern prejudices against the medieval mixture of "hot" & "sweet," the bread has hung on as a traditional snack in central Italy to the present day.

(1 rating)
yield 1 loaf
prep time 2 Hr 30 Min
cook time 1 Hr 5 Min

Ingredients For italian peppered fruit bread (paxpepato)

  • 1 oz
    compressed fresh
  • yeast, or 11/2 packages active dry yeast
  • 4 c
    lukewarm water
  • 4/ 1/2 c
    of unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 c
    raisins
  • 1/2
    shelled blanched walnuts
  • 1/2 c
    shelled blanched almonds
  • 1/2 c
    chocolate chips
  • 1/2 c
    mixed glazed fruit
  • 1/2 c
    honey
  • 1/2 c
    pitted dates
  • 1 1/3 Tbsp
    olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp
    salt
  • 1/2 tsp
    freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp
    (scant) freshly ground nutmeg

How To Make italian peppered fruit bread (paxpepato)

  • 1
    Dissolve the yeast in 1 cup of the water in a small bowl, stirring with a wooden spoon.
  • 2
    Place 11/2 cups of flour in a larger bowl, add the dissolved yeast, and mix with a wooden spoon until all the flour is incorporated and a small ball of dough is formed. Sprinkle an additional 1/2 cup of flour over the ball of dough, then cover the bowl with a cotton towel and put it in a warm place away from drafts. Let it stand until the dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
  • 3
    While the dough is rising, soak the raisins in a small bowl with 2 cups of lukewarm water for 1 hour.
  • 4
    Chop the walnuts and almonds into small pieces and place them in a large bowl. Add the chocolate chips, glazed fruit and honey to the bowl. Cut each date into 4 pieces and add them to the bowl.
  • 5
    Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the salt, pepper and nutmeg over the contents of the bowl. Mix all the ingredients together with a wooden spoon.
  • 6
    When the dough has doubled in size, add it to the nut and fruit mixture, along with the drained raisins, mixing carefully with a wooden spoon. Then add 1 cup of lukewarm water and the 2 cups of flour, little by little, while mixing very gently for about 10 minutes.
  • 7
    With the remaining oil, oil and flour an 8-inch diameter spring-form pan & place the dough in it. Cover the pan with a cotton towel and put it in a warm place away from drafts, to double in size, about 1 hour.
  • 8
    Preheat the oven to 400° F.
  • 9
    When the dough has doubled in size, immediately place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for about 65 minutes.
  • 10
    Take the bread from the oven, open the spring-form immediately and remove the bread to a wooden surface.
  • 11
    Note: This bread is generally not eaten until at least 1 day after it is baked.
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