October has arrived, and I'm already craving the kind of comforting, savoury baking that makes the kitchen feel warm and welcoming. This recipe takes me back to a particularly memorable winter in Bologna, when the temperature dropped to –7°C and, for the first time in twelve years, our car refused to start. The day before, we'd signed the papers for our new home in the middle of heavy snowfall, with schools closed and chaos everywhere. Despite everything, we managed to get it all done: our dream home was finally ours!
I couldn't wait to cook in its beautiful kitchen and discover new corners and new light for my food photography.
To celebrate, I made a delicious crescenta al Gorgonzola, a soft, savoury focaccia from Bologna. The recipe comes from Pane e roba dolce, a much-loved baking book by the Sorelle Simili, Margherita and Valeria, twin sisters who became two of Italy's best-known ambassadors of traditional bread-making.
Born in Bologna in 1936, the sisters grew up around their family's bakery and went on to run their own bakery, Panetteria e roba dolce. After closing it in 1986, they devoted themselves to teaching, opening a baking school and sharing their knowledge of bread, fresh pasta and traditional Bolognese baking with students in Italy and abroad, including the United States and Japan. Their books helped generations of home bakers discover that making bread from scratch could be both achievable and rewarding. The city of Bologna honoured them with the Turrita d'Argento award in 2015 for their contribution to its culinary heritage. Margherita died in 2019 and Valeria in 2022, but their recipes remain an important part of Bologna's baking tradition.
My mother had been making their recipes for years, but I'd never tried one myself. In fact, I didn't even own any of their books! I finally bought Pane e roba dolce and chose this recipe for a quiet weekend at home.
One of the best things about their baking is how clearly the recipes are explained. Bread and yeasted doughs can sometimes be intimidating, but this crescenta is surprisingly straightforward.
How to serve Crescenta al Gorgonzola
I cut the focaccia into small rectangles, about 10 × 3 cm. Some were delicious just as they were; others made excellent little sandwiches with cooked ham or squacquerone, a soft, creamy cheese from Emilia-Romagna.
You can cut the dough into larger pieces for a snack or smaller, bite-sized rectangles to serve with drinks. It's a lovely addition to an Italian aperitivo, whether you're entertaining casually or planning something a little more special.
The focaccia stays soft for several days. If it's no longer freshly baked, warm it in the oven for a few minutes to bring back some of its fragrance.
Crescenta al Gorgonzola
Yield: 10 servings
Prep time: 20 minutes
Resting time: 1 hour 30–40 minutes
Cooking time: 20–30 minutes
Ingredients
500 g all-purpose flour
200 g Gorgonzola cheese
30 g fresh yeast
150 g water
50 g lard
50 g butter
8 g fine salt
1 egg, beaten, for brushing
Method
Dissolve the fresh yeast in half of the water. Place the flour, Gorgonzola, lard, butter, salt and dissolved yeast in a bowl. Add the remaining water and mix until the ingredients come together. The Gorgonzola will blend easily into the dough.
Knead gently until you have a ball of dough. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave to rise for about 1 hour.
Transfer the dough to a work surface and roll it out without kneading it again, forming a rectangle about 1.5 cm thick.
Cut the dough into rectangles of your preferred size. Arrange them on a baking tray and brush with the beaten egg. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise for another 30–40 minutes. Don't worry if the pieces don't increase much in size.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Bake for 20–30 minutes, keeping an eye on the focaccia so it doesn't become too dark.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool before serving.
Notes
Serving ideas: Enjoy the crescenta on its own, fill it with cooked ham or try it with squacquerone.
For an aperitivo: Cut the focaccia into small, bite-sized pieces.
Storage: Keep in an airtight container for a few days. Warm briefly in the oven before serving to refresh the texture.
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