Making bread with Paolo in the Garfagnana

Yesterday I went with Heather Jarman to the village of Petrognola to meet farmer and baker, Paolo, who showed us how to make bread Garfagnana style. The Garfagnana is an area near Bagni di Lucca dotted with beautiful mountain villages.
Farro is a type of wheat that is grown in the Garfagnana and Paolo uses the flour from his own farro combined with regular wheat flour to make his delicious bread.

The farro is already a gorgeous shade of green, but we need some rain right now to help it along.

You can tell it is a type of wheat apparently because of the tiny hairs growing on the stalk.

Paolo has his own plant to separate the grain from the chaff and polish the grain.

Paolo, with his eyes closed, and his father.

Now to the bread making. We went to his bakery under his shop where he has a wonderful wood fired oven.

Paolo and Heather explain the different types of flour used for the bread. Type 1 flour is mixed with farro four.

We all get to feel the texture of the flour. It is quite coarse, the best for bread.

The flour is placed on the working bench and salt is added.

Then the fresh yeast (here it is called beer yeast) is added to the flour.

Potatoes, which have been cooked in a pot in the oven are added.

Then the warm water from the potatoes is added. Andy gets to play at this point.

He works fast.

2 loaves are shaped and then rolled in semolina to prevent the loaf sticking to the cloth it will be wrapped in to prove.

The loaves are wrapped in a handwoven cotton cloth, covered in a blanket and we head off to explore the farm while the dough rises.

Did I mention that the Garfagnana is gorgeous?

Heather and Paolo head off towards the cows. I lag behind to admire the view.

We meet the herd of cattle, waiting patiently to be allowed on the new grass.

We meet Valerio, the bull.

True love, Valerio style. This lucky bull is always with his cows.

Then it is more lovely view on the way back to the bakery.

Earlier, Paolo had relit the fire in the oven. The wood used is oak or chestnut as it burns well and gives off a good heat.

After our walk the embers are taken from the oven.

Then the oven is swept with a wet broom made from the branches of a type of juniper. The smell of this broom is heavenly.

It is then vacuumed, but this does not look quite so exotic.

The top of the bread is slashed.

Then it is lifted onto a long handled paddle and put into the oven.

A very important thing is next. Paolo blesses the loaves.

We have lunch while the bread bakes and soon it is time to inspect our work.

It smells divine. Is there anything a good as fresh bread straight from the oven????

My loaf is put carefully into it’s packet ready to go home with me.

We also made fresh pasta and had a delicious lunch prepared by Paolo’s lovely wife Daniela, but that is another story. Thank you Paolo and Heather for a fun day.

You can make bread with Paolo on 2 of Heather’s tours later this year. Click here and here for the links.

Andy, my fellow bread maker also has a blog. You may see his version of this story there soon.
http://thefullspoon.wordpress.com