Pitta Calabrese

What is pitta?

Pitta is a baked specialty typical of the Calabrian bakery. It is a rustic, low, donut-shaped bread and excellent to fill with Calabrian specialties: tuna and red Tropea onions, ‘nduja, capocollo, provola Silana, peppers, eggplant, tomato and calabrian chilli sauce, or sardine-based filling (anchovies and sardines seasoned with chilli and wild fennel).

History of Calabrian pitta:

The term pitta derives from the Latin picta, meaning “painted,” and according to some, it reflected the Roman custom of using decorated focaccia as a gift to the gods. Other sources instead lean toward a Greek origin.

Historically, pitta was a product considered of lesser value than other bread. It was used to test the oven temperature for baking bread.

U’suffritt and u’morzeddhu:

Traditionally, the production of Pitta was closely linked to two other typical Catanzaro dishes: u’suffritt, prepared with pork mixed with offal, and u’morzeddhu, with cow tripe mixed with offal. These specialties are eaten strictly with pitta.

Calabrese pitta recipe

One of the traditional breads from Calabria, Pitta is the quintessential staple and is usually accompained with salumi or morzello, a traditional Calabrian dish.

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Course: Bread

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 6 hours hours 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 1 loaf

Calories: 1997kcal

Author: Guido Pedrelli

Ingredients

• ▢ 4 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 4 tsp dry yeast
• ▢ 1 1/4 cup warm water
• ▢ 1 teaspoon honey
• ▢ olive oil

Instructions

• ▢
  Dissolve the yeast in the water with the honey.
• ▢
  Add the flour and knead vigorously, then add the salt and continue to knead for about 15 minutes.
• ▢
  Let the dough rise in a bowl greased with oil for 6 hours in a warm place.
• ▢
  Roll out the dough into a disc and make a hole in the center with a glass.
• ▢
  Transfer to a dripping pan greased with a little oil and bake at 400°F for 15 minutes.
• ▢
  Lower the temperature to 350°F and cook for another 15 minutes.
• ▢
  Let cool and serve with your best Calabrian food.

Serving: 100g | Calories: 1997kcal | Carbohydrates: 407g | Protein: 71g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 50mg | Potassium: 997mg | Fiber: 26g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 99mg | Iron: 24mg

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