The Italian baker44 recipes
The Italian baker. Nobody puts flavour in a corner. Real flavours. Seriously good bakes, Ha! #ButFirstFlavour
‘Nduja and provolone sourdough bread
In partnership with Vico Food Box, Italian food at low prices with free shipping throughout Europe There are few things better than a slice of freshly baked homemade stuffed bread. This ‘nduja and provolone sourdough bread combines the best of the worlds I live in: hearty sourdough bread from Britain and some of the most amazing ingredients from Italy, giving you
Protected: Zuppa inglese
In partnership with Vico Food Box, Italian food at low prices with free shipping throughout Europe Let’s face it. Italians cannot survive abroad without ‘their’ Italian food. It’s some sort of lifeline, we cannot function for long periods of time without ‘our’ pasta, pizza and lots of local delicatessen that we grew up with. Memories of flavours, moments, family and friends
Mango, coconut frangipane and cardamom tart
In collaboration with Brixton Windmill and using their organic wholemeal flour The sweetness and lightness of coconut frangipane, the delicate fresh mango flavour and the side-note (little) kick of cardamom sugar make this the perfect springtime dessert. I found out about the so called ‘Indian mango season’ only in recent years. In Italy there is no such a thing, and yes, surely
Sour cherry and coffee hot cross buns
In collaboration with Brixton Windmill and using their organic wholemeal flour Hot cross buns are…something that I had never eaten before moving to the UK. Surely not for Easter. Traditionally, Easter in Italy is marked by the arrival of millions of ‘doves’. No, literally, they are everywhere, but made of bread of course: the traditional Easter ‘colomba’, usually much lighter and fluffier
Lemon curd muffins - The Italian baker
One of the rules I gave to myself when I started this blog was: “No muffins, no cupcakes”. I am not sure why, probably it was because I always thought muffins and cupcakes are a bit boring. Just simple sponge cakes, sometimes with a creamy topping. A bit simple. Wait, keep reading. That was until a few weeks ago when, while
Rustic galette with roasted butternut squash, cavolo nero pesto and hazelnut gremolata - The Italian baker
In collaboration with Brixton Windmill and using their organic wholemeal flour Galette, torta salata, crusty cake, savoury tart. Bring them all on. I must say, I particularly love the versatility of a galette and its rich buttery pastry. Just add or take away some sugar from a classic pastry recipe, and you can bake anything from a savoury tart with cheese and
Soft amaretti biscuits - The Italian baker
I have been baking and cooking quite a lot over Christmas and New Year, and I felt that the sheer simplicity and deliciousness of this recipe was a perfect way to strike a balance and start the new year. I will also start with a warning: these soft amaretti biscuits are extremely addictive and you won’t be able to have another
Tiramisu - The Italian baker
It is probably the most know Italian dessert around the world, and also one of my all-time favourites. Tiramisu was allegedly invented in the town of Treviso (near Venice) in the second half of XX century. Many restaurants in Treviso claim to be the actual creators of the tiramisu, and it seems that it originated from a nutritious mix of
Christmas apple strudel - The Italian baker
In collaboration with Brixton Windmill and using their organic wholemeal flour Strudel is a traditional layered pastry that originated in Austria (or around that area) some time ago during the 18th century (but someone says even earlier than that). The filling is usually sweet and made up of apples, raisins, cinnamon and sugar as the basic ingredients. Then there are the usual
Wholewheat oatcakes - The Italian baker
In collaboration with Brixton Windmill and using their organic wholemeal flour I must say I am a cheese lover. On top of being a coffee lover. Well, that’s kind of the Italian stereotype too, I was told. Cheese (mozzarella, parmesan, burrata, gorgonzola…and we could continue for days) and coffee (espresso of course). Then apparently there are just a few other things,
Vegan ‘totally gianduia’ pots - The Italian baker
When I first launched the Italian baker, one of my best friends, who is vegan, asked me if I was planning to post any vegan recipes on the blog any time soon. He sort of caught me “off guard”, since I honestly hadn’t thought about it yet. True, I had baked vegan goodies before, but always following other people’s recipes
Jam and marzipan sticky buns - The Italian baker
Regulars to the blog will know that I have got a preference for locally sourced ingredients and homemade products to bake with. I can definitely say that’s also something that goes back to my childhood. Mum would bake or make something from scratch and then exchange that with something else that the neighbours had baked or made. And each week the
Chestnut and pear cake (gluten free) - The Italian baker
There are some smells and flavours that immediately remind us of a season. Summer tastes of strawberries, spring reminds me of early cherries, and winter has a strong chocolate flavour (possibly with cream and extra cocoa powder on top). As for autumn, although pumpkin spice and pumpkins of all sorts are now everywhere and would probably be the go-to choice for
Apple and salted caramel tartlets - The Italian baker
Can one ever get tired of apples? I love apples, they are one of my favourite fruits and give me any dessert with apples in it, and I am a happy guy. I thought this would be the perfect time of the year to post an apple recipe, since end of summer and beginning of autumn, between August and October, is
Wholewheat sourdough cob - The Italian baker
In collaboration with Brixton Windmill and using their organic wholemeal flour So, it’s finally time to post a sourdough bread recipe. When the pandemic hit, I started growing my starter. At last, more than a year and a half dow the line, I finally feel I am getting results my hyper-critical self considers good enough to share with other human beings. Although
Salted caramel and lemon jam sandwich biscuits - The Italian baker
The idea of making these biscuits came as, what they call, a “happy accident”. I was testing a caramel sauce for another recipe, and I wanted to taste the caramel I had just made to ensure it wasn’t burnt. I grabbed a teaspoon that I forgot I had used earlier to measure some lemon juice and scooped up some of
Pickled rainbow cherry tomatoes and thyme focaccia - The Italian baker
Focaccia, focaccia, focaccia. Sometimes I dream about focaccia. I still remember that one time that I visited Genova and Liguria, I couldn't stop eating it. For breakfast, snack, lunch, snack again, dinner. It was just so incredibly good. Lately, there has been a focaccia boom outside of Italy as well. Happiness, happiness, happiness. However, the quality of most focaccia(s) I have tried
Coffee, mascarpone and caramelised banana Eton mess - The Italian baker
A few days ago someone told me that 1 October is International Coffee Day. How come that I didn't know anything about it is still a mystery to me. As an Italian and a coffee lover, I feel I have a call of duty to join the celebrations and contribute to spreading the love of coffee as much as I
Canestrelli biscuits - The Italian baker
Give a go at these buttery canestrelli biscuits (or canestrini), a classic shortbread biscuit from Northern Italy.
Blueberry and almond frangipane tart - The Italian baker
In collaboration with Brixton Windmill and using their organic wholemeal flour For those who don’t know it, I have a lot of love for wholemeal flour (and wholemeal ingredients in general). And if you don’t have a lot of love for it, you simply should. Wholemeal flour desserts are just wonderful. Why? Well, they simple have that little bit extra special given by