A Brescian Breakfast
We are officially back from our Annual fall Buying Trip and can’t wait to show you what we found! Stay tuned—our latest finds arrive very soon.
It's very important for us to continue the experiential roots of CosituttiMarketPlace with a history of 25 years taste traveling in Italy with our Italian family and friends. A history with a sense of purpose and first-hand experience tasting the products that we bring home to you. We don’t just find ingredients; we inherit the stories of a place and the artisan producers and generational families who share our purpose and pleasure.
The Place - Centro Paolo VI
This season our travels led us to the city of Brescia about 50 miles east of Milan adding to our list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites visited. The historical context of these sites always puts us at the intersection of history and the traditions of regional food, wine, art and design with great inspiration for curating our newest seasonal collections.
For the first part of our trip we based ourselves at Centro Paolo VI, just outside the historical center of the city. Originally an Italian baroque palazzo and former monastery, the atmosphere of Palazzo Santangelo at Centro Paul VI with the original 17th-century cloisters, frescoed staircases, an active chapel and inner garden of ancient olive trees makes this an extraordinary place to stay. The property operates as a non-profit foundation that structures itself around what they refer to as "cognitive hospitality” the belief that surrounding oneself with historic art and silence can actively
clear the mind and enrich a traveler's perspective. A belief that I totally share.
The Experience - A Brescian Breakfast
We’ve had many memorable breakfasts in Italy but this one proved to be extra special. The setting, service and a classic Brescian breakfast creates a mindful, slow start to the day. Reminiscent of another time when travelers stopped at certain inns not just to find a bed for the night, but to find a peaceful contemplative rest for the trip ahead.
The breakfast at Centro Paolo VI is served in their dining room which later becomes the site for dinner with a a codex of flavors that reflect the regional dishes of Lombardia. The dining room opens into the historic cloister as the restaurant becomes an integral part of your stay.
Tucked away inside a magnificent 17th-century palace, this hotel served a breakfast menu that included Lombardian favorites true to Northern Italian hospitality. Fresh pastries, local charcuterie,
granola (grains and cereal), alpine yogurt, cloud-like leavened breakfast cakes and tarts (crostata) filled with apricot or gianduja (chocolate hazelnut spread), filled or plain cornetti (Italian croissants), scrambled eggs, fruit salad, savory mountain cheese, coffee or tea.
To recreate a traditional Brescian breakfast at home, you need to lean into the baking traditions of world-renowned pastry arts of Brescia. A staple in kitchens across Italy for generations, these cakes—known traditionally as Ciambella or locally as Bussolà—are often but not alway baked in the shape of a ring. Unlike heavy American pastries, these cakes are beautifully simple, golden, and lightly sweet, meant to be sliced thick and dunked directly into a hot cup of coffee.
Here is a simplified version of a traditional Brescian breakfast cake that replicates that cloud-like texture using a heavily whipped egg sponge that can be baked in a standard tube or bundt pan. the cloud-like texture and vanilla flavor is achieved with Paneangeli Lievito Vanigliato, a popular Italian brand of vanilla-flavored baking powder but you can use standard baking powder and vanilla extract.
Brescian Breakfast Cake
Ingredients
200g (1.5 cups) all-purpose flour
100g (¾ cup) cornstarch or potato starch
200g (1 cup) granulated sugar
150g (⅔ cup) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
4 large eggs, separated
100ml (3.5 fl oz) whole milk
16g (1 packet / 1 tbsp) Italian baking powder (Lievito Paneangeli or standard baking powder)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Zest of 1 lemon
Powdered sugar or dusting
Method
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Thoroughly grease and flour a 10-inch fluted tube or bundt pan.
In a clean bowl, beat the 4 egg whites until stiff peaks form. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, followed by the lemon zest and vanilla extract. Sift the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder together. Alternating in batches, fold the dry ingredients and the milk into the butter mixture until smooth.
Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the batter in three additions using a spatula. Fold egg whipped egg whites in a circular, bottom-to-top motion to keep the batter as airy as possible. Pour the batter into your prepared pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely in the pan before inverting it onto a serving plate. Dust a thick layer of powdered sugar over the top to resemble winter snow over the Brescian Alps.
Beautifully written, Pamela!