Transform Stale Bread into a Brilliant Italian Village Cake
Tom Hunt's torta paesana, a chocolate tart topped with nuts, resembles a firm baked custard in texture. This Lombardian 'village cake' is celebrated for its simplicity, delicious flavor, and endless adaptability, making it an ideal way to repurpose old bread.
Maximising Stale Bread for Culinary Creativity
Old sourdough serves as a secret ingredient in many dishes. To prevent mould, remove it from plastic packaging and store it in a bread bin with ample airflow, allowing it to dry out slowly. Scraps can be kept in a cloth bag for use in recipes like pangrattato or strata, a savoury bread-and-butter pudding.
The torta paesana has become a favourite for utilising stale bread. It's remarkable how a thin custard made from leftover bread bakes into a superb cake. At its core, it's utterly delicious, but adding pantry staples such as nuts, spirits, raisins, chocolate chips, candied citrus, or aniseed elevates it to a delicacy. For a traditional touch, use pine nuts and grappa-soaked raisins, though rum-soaked raisins and mixed nuts work well with what's on hand.
Recipe for Torta Paesana
Ingredients:
- 250g old bread (e.g., sourdough, baguette, Italian bread)
- 550ml whole milk
- 50g raisins or currants (optional)
- 1 tbsp grappa, rum, or brandy (optional)
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 50g unsweetened cacao powder
- 100g brown sugar
- 80g almonds, pine nuts, or other nuts
- Crème fraîche or thick cream to serve (optional)
Instructions:
- Tear the bread into a bowl, cover with milk, place a weight on top, and soak for 15 minutes until the bread is very soft.
- Soak the raisins in grappa, rum, or brandy if using.
- Mash or blend the bread and milk mixture into a puree.
- Add the beaten eggs, cacao powder, and brown sugar, then pulse-blend or mix well to combine until the consistency resembles custard.
- Stir in the nuts (reserving a few tablespoons for topping) and the optional soaked raisins.
- Line a 23cm flan or sealed cake tin with unbleached baking paper and fill with the custard. Use a solid tin, not spring-form, as the mixture is runny.
- Bake at 190C (170C fan)/375F/gas 5 for 40 minutes until firmly set.
- Remove and cool fully in the tin before serving, or refrigerate overnight. It keeps well in the fridge for three to five days.
This recipe not only reduces food waste but also offers a versatile and tasty dessert option for any occasion.
