Monreale bread (u Pani ri Murriali)
Bread
Product included in the national list of traditional agri-food products (PAT)
PAT type : Fresh pasta and bakery, biscuit, pastry and confectionery products
Production Area :
Technical data sheet of the traditional agri-food product (PAT)
Production area: The entire municipal territory of Monreale (PA).
Brief product description: Monreale bread is made exclusively with durum wheat semolina flour, water, salt, yeast, and sesame seeds. It comes in different shapes:
Round loaf of ½ Kg. And 1 Kg.
Pizziata loaf of ½ Kg. And 1 Kg.
Long smooth loaf of ¼, ½ Kg. And 1 Kg.
Ladder loaf of ¼, ½ Kg. And 1 Kg.
Monreale bread is recognizable by the crisp and thick brown external crust (minimum 3 mm.) Sprinkled with sesame seeds and by the intense yellow crumb with regular holes or alveoli.
Description of processing and maturing methods: For each quintal of flour, 2 kg of salt, 70 liters of warm water, and yeast (natural or brewer's yeast) are added. The dough is kneaded for approximately 20 minutes. This is followed by the first rising phase, which lasts 1 hour. After rising, the dough is manually shaped into the desired shapes. The resulting loaf, sprinkled with sesame seeds, is ready for the second rising phase, which lasts 40 minutes. Baking takes place at temperatures between 300° and 320°C, with baking times varying depending on the loaf size. Freshly baked bread is placed in rush baskets until the temperature reaches equilibrium.
Specific materials and equipment used for preparation and conditioning: The equipment is specific to breadmaking: a mechanical mixer and oven. For Monreale Bread, only a wood-fired oven, either directly or indirectly heated, is used.
Description of the processing, storage, and aging facilities: Breadmaking laboratory. Evidence that the methods have been practiced consistently and according to traditional rules for a period of at least 25 years: The Monreale breadmaking system has remained unchanged over time. The only innovation occurred in the 50s with the introduction of the mechanical mixer. The traditional recipe has been preserved due to the product's longstanding consumer popularity.
The quality characteristics of Pane di Monreale are also recognized outside the region.
Source Pat Cards: Sicily Region
Card insertion: Ignazio Caloggero
Informational contributions : Web, Sicily Region
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