Italian Breads

This recipe is a savory alternative to pizza pasquale, the sweet bread traditionally served with salame on Easter morning. Get the recipe for Bread with Prosciutto and Olives »

Although light, airy adaptations of this sweet are now in vogue, this recipe from Marco and Maurizio Profumo’s Pasticceria Villa di Profumo, a pastry shop on Genoa’s famed via Garibaldi, produces this more traditional dense and crumbly version. See the recipe for Old-Fashioned Genoese Sweet Bread »

Lemon slices and sprigs of rosemary top this aromatic focaccia.

This chewy focaccia pairs salty olives with sweet tomatoes for an addictive snack. See the recipe for Focaccia with Tomatoes and Olives »

Evan Kleiman, the chef and owner of Angeli Caffe (see Family Style) in Los Angeles, gave us this recipe for Italian flat bread, which she tops with ‘nduja, a spreadable Italian cured meat. You can buy ‘nduja from the San Francisco-based pork store, Boccalone.

This boldly flavored bread is a great use for not-too-sweet strawberries, which caramelize and intensify in flavor while cooking. The onion and balsamic vinegar add a welcome tartness. Get the recipe for Strawberry Focaccia with Maple-Balsamic Onions »

This version of Liguria’s famed focaccia comes to us from Biagia Settepani, chef and co-owner of Pasticceria Bruno in New York City. See the recipe for Pesto Focaccia »

In this recipe from Daniel Leader of Bread Alone, an airy loaf with a nice crust is produced similar to a ciabatta. It’s made with a lightly fermented traditional Italian starter, called a biga, that’s started nine hours before baking.