Chapter 1 · Pane e Impasti -- Breads & Doughs

Everything in this chapter either goes into the oven on its own or becomes the start of something that will, later, in another chapter. Matteo's two doughs are the foundation for most of what this family bakes; learn those first, and pizza and calzone will feel less like new recipes and more like the same handful of decisions, made slightly differently.

• Focaccia Genovese My mother came to Montesorra from a town on the Ligurian coast, and she brought this with her before she brought almost anything else. ◆ includes a story from the dining room
• Focaccia alle Olive Verdi e Erbe This is my mother's same dough -- the one on the page before this, thin and true to Liguria -- with green olives pressed into it and enough rosemary that the whole…
• Impasto per Pizza a Lievitazione Lenta In this kitchen, the dough belongs to my brother Matteo, and has for as long as anyone can remember.
• Impasto per Pizza a Lievitazione Rapida Matteo does not love this recipe, and makes sure everyone knows it.
• Grissini My father will tell this story to anyone who orders these and looks even slightly interested: that grissini were invented in Turin for a duke with a weak stomach, whose… ◆ includes a story from the dining room
• Pane Casereccio This is not a special-occasion bread. ◆ includes a story from the dining room