Panini Morbidi and Artisan Italian Baking at Home

Artisan Italian Baking at Home: 60 Authentic Recipes for Breads, Focaccia, Pizzas, Cakes and More, written by Alessandra Fontana, features a wonderful collection of regional Italian sweet and savory baked goods for the home baker along with detailed guides for building and maintaining a starter. A few highlights include Mafalda, Spinach and Egg Bruschetta, Strudel di Mele, Bianca Romana, and Zeppole di San Giuseppe. I will also be sharing her recipe for Panini Morbidi following the review.

Disclosure: I received this book from Page Street Publishing in exchange for my honest review. All opinions and statements are my own.

Alessandra Fontana

Alessandra Fontana is the creator behind La Salsiccia Ciociara. She was born and raised in Rome and is currently based in Milan, Italy with her family.

She made her first sourdough starter in 2013 (named it after her two children) and now shares her passion for baking online through TikTok and other social media channels.

Alessandra also achieved the Guinness World Record with five others in 2021 for the longest pizza alla pala at 39 meters.

Artisan Italian Baking at Home

Alessandra begins Artisan Italian Baking at Home with a short introduction of her family and how she developed a love of sourdough and baking.

Chapters are divided according to the following: Your First Starter; Artisan Italian Loaves; Authentic Focaccia, Bruschette and Buns; Simply Amazing Cakes and Biscotti; Traditional Pizzas from My Beloved Rome; and Holiday Bakes. The contents page has a list of the included recipes with page number for easy reference.

The first section covers the science behind building and maintaining a starter for beautiful loaves at home. The detailed step-by-step directions and helpful tips are especially perfect for beginning home bakers.

If you aren’t quite ready to attempt sourdough yet, there are many yeast (fresh)-based and quicker chemically leavened bakes to choose from.

The photography is provided by Luca della Valle. Every single recipe has a full-page photo of the finished bread, pizza, pastry, cookie, or cake.

Measurements are listed in metric only for accuracy and having a kitchen scale on hand is essential. Titles are written in Italian. Each baked good has a headnote with background information, yield, serving ideas, and other tips.

Panini Morbidi

To pair with the review, I made Panini Morbidi! These small, versatile buns are perfect on their own or paired with a variety of spreads and fillings.

The base comes together with yeast, water, bread flour, olive oil, a little sugar, egg, and salt. After kneading until smooth, the dough is set aside at room temperature to rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.

It is then divided into individual rounds, optionally topped with sesame seeds (I covered half and left the other half plain), and allowed to rise one more time before baking until golden.

These Panini Morbidi were especially delicious warm from the oven. If not enjoying right away, cover with a towel and allow to cool to room temperature.

We also loved the buns with a chocolate hazelnut spread, butter, jam, or ham and cheese slices for a more savory option. Alessandra mentions they would be perfect for small hamburgers.

A Few Panini Morbidi Tips

Don’t skip the kneading process. This is necessary to create a smooth dough and develop that soft and pillowy texture.

Keep the buns covered with a towel after removing from the oven. Otherwise, they will become tough as they cool.

Looking for even more flavor? This base Panini Morbidi recipe has a few variations in Artisan Italian Baking at Home including Panini con Pancetta, Panini Deliziosi con Uvetta (Raisin Buns), and Panini Rustici con Olive (Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Olives).

More Baking

I also made the Taralli Pugliesi, Pizzette Rosse, Migliaccio, and Maritozzo alla Romana.

The very first recipe I tried was the Taralli Pugliesi (they were a favorite when I was younger, because my name is in the beginning). These small circles of dough come together with a blend of flour, olive oil, and dry white wine. After forming, they are briefly boiled before baking until golden. I kept the bread plain as requested by my kids, but additional flavoring options include black pepper, fennel seeds, chili pepper, oregano, and/or rosemary.

The Pizzette Rosse recipe was another family favorite. These little pizzas were a fun baking project with a homemade dough base cut into rounds and topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella, and Würstel. After assembling, they are baked in the oven until tender and melty.

I made the Migliaccio while my aunts were visiting and it was perfect for entertaining. This sweet Neapolitan semolina cake is flavored with orange zest, ricotta, and vanilla bean. The resulting creamy and soft texture is similar to polenta or even mousse.

My daughter is a huge fan of whipped cream and requested the Maritozzo alla Romana. These brioche buns from Rome are incredibly soft and fragrant with vanilla and lemon zest. Once cooled, they are cut lengthwise and filled with whipped cream.

Artisan Italian Baking at Home is a great pick for those interested in regional Italian sweet and savory baked goods in a variety of styles and flavors. Recipes range from basic breads and rolls for everyday baking to crusty loaves, garnished focaccia, and more intricate desserts perfect for celebrations.

Most of the ingredients can readily be found in larger American grocery stores. A few items may require further searching such as fresh yeast, semolina flour, hazelnuts, Sicilian caciocavallo cheese, crescenza cheese, black cherry jam, and orange blossom water.

Panini Morbidi Recipe

Excerpt from Artisan Italian Baking at Home

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Panini Morbidi

A recipe for Panini Morbidi from the cookbook, Artisan Italian Baking at Home! These small, versatile buns are perfect on their own or paired with a variety of spreads and fillings.

Course Bread

Cuisine Italian

Keyword bread, buns, Italian, Italy, panini

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Resting Time: 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 3 hours hours 5 minutes minutes

Servings 12 Buns

Ingredients

• 5 grams fresh yeast
• 250 grams cool water
• 500 grams bread flour
• 65 grams extra virgin olive oil
• 50 grams white sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 10 grams salt
• Milk for brushing
• Sesame seeds to taste (optional)

Instructions

• To make the dough, in a bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water.
• Sift the flour into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment. Start the mixer on a slow speed, and slowly add all the yeast mixture. Knead for a few minutes until you have a smooth and firm ball.
• Now it's time to slowly add the oil and knead for a few minutes until you get a ball again. Then add the sugar and repeat.
• Once all the sugar has been incorporated, add the egg yolk and mix again.
• Finally, add all the salt and knead for 30 seconds.
• Place the dough in a graduated container, and mark the level reached. Wrap the container with plastic wrap.
• For the bulk rise, keep your dough in a warm place (77˚F/25˚C). With this pleasant temperature, your dough will double in 1 1/2 hours.
• When your dough has doubled, unload it to your workspace, and with a bench scraper, start cutting it in small, 75-gram portions.
• Form little balls, sprinkle them with water, and then dip them in the sesame seeds, if using.
• Place them on a baking sheet 2 inches (5 centimeters) from each other. Repeat until the baking sheet is full, and then cover it with plastic wrap and leave the buns to rise at 77˚F (25˚C) for a maximum of 45 to 50 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350˚F (180˚C).
• Gently brush the leavened buns with milk so that during baking they will acquire a pleasant color.
• Bake the buns for 15 minutes, or until done but still tender.
• Remove them from the oven and immediately cover them with a cotton towel. Don't let them cool uncovered or they'll become hard.