Shiny and delightfully sticky with decorative split, criss-crossed tops, pandiramerino, which means ‘rosemary bread’, are little buns fragrant with fresh rosemary and studded with sweet sultanas. (Ramerino is the charming Tuscan word for rosemary.) Traditionally, these rustic buns were made for giovedì santo, the Thursday before Easter, and were without the sultanas, hence their name. Now you find them year round in bakeries all over Florence.
RECIPE
Pandiramerino
Rosemary and sultana buns
Makes 8 buns
Ph. Emiko Davies
Ingredients
20 g (¾ oz) fresh yeast,
or 7 g (¼ oz) active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
180 ml (6¼ fl oz/¾ cup) lukewarm water
300 g (10½ oz) plain flour, sifted
70 g (2½ oz) sultanas
2 rosemary sprigs, chopped
60 ml (2 fl oz/¼ cup) extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch of salt
55 g (2 oz/¼ cup) sugar
Method
Combine the yeast, sugar and water in a mixing bowl and let it sit for 10 minutes until dissolved. Pour over the sifted flour and combine to make a firm ball of dough. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a dish towel and let it rise in a warm place away from draughts for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, place the sultanas, rosemary and oil together in a bowl and set aside to infuse until the dough has risen.
Combine the dough with the sultanas, rosemary, oil and salt. Work the ingredients together by kneading, and divide into eight small balls, weighing approximately 70–80 g (2½–2¾ oz) each.
Place the buns on a baking tray lined with baking paper and cover loosely with a dish towel. Allow the buns to rise for a further 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
Brush the tops with olive oil and slash a tick-tack-toe grid (similar to a hash symbol) over each one with a very sharp knife or razor. Let them rest another 10–15 minutes, then bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare a sugar syrup by dissolving the sugar in 2 tablespoons of water in a small saucepan and bringing to the boil. Take off the heat and brush the hot buns with the hot syrup.
The buns are best eaten the day they are made, but they will keep well for a day or two in an airtight container.
This is an edited extract from Florentine: The True Cuisine of Florence by Emiko Davies, published by Hardie Grant Books. Order your copy of Florentine: The True Cuisine of Florence
