Plain rye bread
Plain rye bread brings a darker crumb and firm cubes to soups such as favò di Ozein. Choose a loaf made with rye, without seeds or dried fruit, and weigh the bread before toasting it in butter.
- Form
- Baked rye bread, without seeds or dried fruit.
- For favò
- Slightly stale bread cut into small cubes.
- Purchase check
- Rye in the ingredients, not dark color alone.
Cut before toasting
Use slightly stale bread that can be cut cleanly. For favò, make even cubes about 1 cm across, keeping the weighed quantity separate from loose cutting crumbs. Toast in the recipe’s butter until the edges are crisp and browned, then fold in at the stated stage. Do not replace the bread with dry crackers by weight.
Rye bread in the Alpine bowl
In the Aosta Valley, pan ner combines rye and wheat flour with water, yeast and salt. Round loaves with a brown crust are part of the valley’s bread tradition. In favò, bread has an active role: cubes are toasted in butter and folded into the bean-and-pasta mixture near the end. Their browned edges contrast with the beans and pasta.
Add it at the end
Keep the toasted cubes ready while the pasta finishes. Folding them in just before serving preserves a contrast between their browned edges and the thick soup. Fontina is added off the heat; bread and cheese are both included in the dish’s quantities.
Cook with it
Choose a plain loaf
Read the ingredient list or ask the baker for rye bread without seeds, nuts or dried fruit. Rye percentages and blends vary. A fruit-filled rye loaf adds different ingredients and sweetness; a strongly seeded loaf changes the small cubes. Dark crust alone does not identify the flour.
Protect the loaf
Follow the bakery or package storage instructions. Keep the bread protected from contamination and portion only what the recipe needs. Keep the loaf and its board separate from raw meat and its utensils.
