Fisherman's Bread (Pane del Pescatore)

5 from 1 vote

Fisherman’s bread, also known as pane del pescatore, is a cross between a cookie, scone and biscuit with a hard shell and tender inside that is filled with dried raisins and nuts.

Prep Time20

Cook Time25

Total Time45

Course: Antipasti, Breakfast, Brunch, Snack

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: buns

Calories: 252kcal

Author: Rosemary Molloy

Ingredients

2¼ cups + 1 tablespoon all purpose flour (300 g total)
½ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch salt
⅓ cup butter (softened)
2 large eggs (room temperature)
2 large egg yolks (room temperature)
3 tablespoons pine nuts
½ cup raisins
¼ cup almonds coarsely chopped

EXTRAS

1-2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2-3 tablespoons water
3-4 tablespoons sliced almonds

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 350F / 180C. Line 1-2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Soak the raisins in boiling water or rum for 20 minutes, drain well. Set aside.
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Add the softened butter, eggs and yolks and mix until almost combined. Add the pine nuts, raisins and chopped almonds, mix to combine. The dough should be soft.
Move the dough to a lightly floured flat surface and form into 10-12 balls, place them on the prepared baking sheet, flatten very slightly, brush with the sugar water, sprinkle with the silvered almonds. Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes on the baking sheet then move to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

SUGAR WATER

In a small pot heat until boiling the sugar and water, continue to cook for 2-3 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before brushing. If you prefer you could brush with a slightly beaten egg white or even milk.

Notes

Storage

Store fisherman’s bread in a cool dry place in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Some people (probably the fishermen!) find these better as they get drier in storage.

Freeze the completely cooled buns wrapped in foil then place in a freezer safe container or bag. They will keep for up a month in the freezer. Thaw the frozen buns on the counter.

Nutrition