…Nut Bread, Bisciola.
"Julia della Croce, who blogs authoritatively about Italian food, first tried the dense, sweet bisciola (pronounced "bee-shee-OH-la") in Italy's Valtellina Valley. Known as biscieùla, pan di fich ("fig bread"), panun, or panettone valtellinese, it's denser than the brioche-like pannetone you'd find in Milan.
Julia writes:
"It appears that we have Napoleon to thank for this little bread, which goes back to 1797 when he stopped in the valley on his sweep through northern Italy. Having a sweet tooth, he asked his cook to make him whatever confection he could whip up, even if there were only dried fruits, nuts, and the usual staples of the valley available, and voilá, bisciola was born."
Ms. della Croce asked Food Guy Greg Patent if he'd like to try to reproduce the treat. Armed only with an ingredients list whose quantities would feed a football team – and no instructions – it took trial, error, and six tries to hit the sweet spot. The basic recipe is below, but you can view step-by-step photos at Greg's blog…"
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