What is Pan di Ramerino

Pan di ramerino is the sweet bun that my dad Dante loved to bring school for his recreation time while he was a kid. He used to stop by his local bakery, opned his hand basket so that the baker could put the warm pan di ramerino inside. He was then walking happily to school followed by an amazing sweet smell of rosmary.

During the time the recipe of this sweet bun has been enriched with the addition of zibibbo (a kind of dry muscat grape) not only ramerino then (which is the way we call rosemary in Tuscany) but zibibbo and a little pinch of sugar on top.

The tradition says that in the past pan di ramerino was made only during Holy Thursday but my father, that was born in 1930 use to find it at bakery any time of the year such as today.

I like to make pan di ramerino with sourdough, honey and Extra Virgin Oil.

The recipe

1. Warm 50 ml of extra virgin oil with two fresh rosemary’s branch to flavour the oil for about 4 minutes, douse the fire and filter the oil where you will;
2. put the 80 gr of raisins (that you have previously put in warm water to soften) add some fresh little rosemary’s needle and leave it to cool down;
3. start to knead 100gr of sourdough starter, add half glass of water where you have already melted one little spoon of Honey, add the flavoured oil with raisins, add 250gr of flour 0 type and knead with your hands;
4. when ready leave the dough to raise until it doubled in size and shape the dough in many little buns;
5. carve them with a cross and let them raise for half an hour;
6. ready to bake at 180° for about 25 minutes;
7. take them off the hoven and brush the top with a mix of water and brown sugar, back in the hoven for about 5 minutes and…
8. pan di ramerino is ready!

Your kitchen is gonna smell of rosemary and raisins and for me is gonna be the perfect time to send a sweet thought to my dad.
Let’s go folks, it’s recreation time!