10 Different types of Italian Sandwich Bread
While visiting and travelling through the beautiful country of Italy you’ll perhaps notice the broad range of different types of Italian sandwich bread on offer.
When thinking about Italian cuisine most people immediiately think about the different types of pasta and pizza.
However, Italy is also a nation of bread makers. Along with Italian pasta, bread is made in all regions of Italy.
Various Italian breads are meant for various culinary purposes. In Italian restaurants you’ll be served with bread right upon sitting.
The bread typically gets served with different Italian meals within restaurants, or you may eat as a snack from a local bakery, along with many other baked delights.
Mostly there are 10 renowned breads of Italian variety used for sandwich making. These can easily be found in different bakeries and restaurants across the country.
1. PANE CASERECCIO / PANE TOSCANO
Pane casareccio is one of the most common breads found across Italy. The bread is available in loaf form and is known by various names in different regions of the country.
In Rome, it is known by the name pane casareccio, meaning “homey bread.” In other areas the bread is known as pane toscano, which means “Tuscan bread.”
In Italy you can commonly buy bread in the form of a half bread loaf or it can be bought as a whole bread loaf from the bakery.
While buying, you can choose from unsalted, salted, durum wheat, whole wheat, cereal bread, and many more. Conventional Italian types of bread are unsalted apart from salted Tuscan bread.
Italian pane casareccio bread is ideal for dipping in various vegetable soups or it can get sliced for topping with cheese and meats.
Pane bread has a crust which is crunchy and hard and its inside is compact and soft. Due to this, it is perfect for making Italian bruschetta!
While thinking about Italian bread, a lot of Italians mostly think of pane casareccio.
2. PIADINA
Piadina bread is also known as the king of flatbreads in Italy. The bread is produced from the Emilia Romagna region and it gets consumed throughout the country.
You can easily find different piadina flatbread varieties in any Italian grocery shop such as flour-and-wheat only piadina, spelt, small and large sized piadina, whole wheat, etc.
The bread is now commonly consumed as a healthy and simple home-prepared meal. A lot of students, working people and singles have a pack of piadina in the bread bin whenever they’re not in the mood to cook.
The use of piadina is also seen in delicious street food. Generally, the bread is available with stracchino cheese, arugula, and prociutto ham.
The bread is sometimes compared with the Mexican tortilla. However, it is made through wheat flour. Vegetarians and vegans, before ordering their piadina in Italy, must ask the chef if the dough containslard, as a few recipes require lard for providing the bread with its elasticity.
While buying a packet of piadina you may want to have a look at the ingredients on the packaging. If you’re planning to make piadina at home, watch the video-recipe on YouTube as its by no means simple to make yourself if you have no experience prior to baking this bread.
3. PIZZA BIANCA
The Pizza Bianca bread is a delectable choice which is halfway between a pizza and bread. This bread variety is among the most famous of street foods found in Rome.
As a street food people in Lazio and Rome mostly choose pizza bianca midway between morning and afternoon.
In a single bite you’ll get a rush of different flavors: mainly salty, somewhat oily on the topside, a little bit crunchy at the edges, elastic and soft in mid portion.
The bread is known for its deliciousness and once you have it you’ll surely know the reason behind its popularity.
The bread is easily cut into layers and can be filled to make a sandwich style snack. Foodies in Italy mostly fill the bread with cut Bologna and chocolate cream. The type of Italian bread typically isn’t eaten at home.
4. FOCACCIA
Anyone who has tasted pizza as a part of authentic Italian cuisine will liken focaccia to a pizza base in absence of toppings like pepperoni and mozzarella cheese but with only salt and pepper along with a drizzle of olive oil.
This type of Italian bread resembles pizza dough prior to being baked in an oven. The dough mixture of focaccia consists of water, high-gluten flour, olive oil and yeast.
Focaccia is mostly served with meals, or used for making paninis.
5. CIABATTA
Ciabatta is renowned in Italy and worldwide. The typical ingredient mixture of this type of bread consists of olive oil, salt, wheat flour, yeast and water.
Ciabatta bread is a flat and elongated bread and is the most common bread used for making Italian sandwiches and various other types of snacks.
It has been said that creation of the ciabatta Italian bread was mainly down to rivaling the demand of the popular French baguette.
Ciabatta Italian bread is eaten in many ways including drizzled and dipped with olive oil, or it can also be dipped in pasta sauce.
The bread is also usable in a Panini stuffed with cheeses and Italian meats.
6. FRISELLE
Friselle bread is locally known as Fresedde. The ring-shaped bread is baked twice and is the main specialty of the Puglia region in Italy.
The bread gets dipped in cold water and then is pressed for removing any excess water. The bread is finally topped with tomatoes, olive oil, oregano, capers, pepper and salt. Typically the bread is made with durum flour.
CIAMBELLA
The Ciambella is generally considered as more of a cake instead of a bread, although it is available in both savory and sweet flavors.
Normally the bread is composed of eggs, butter, flour, lemon zest, and milk. Similarly a lot of Italian dishes have been regionalized, and ciambella isn’t much different. A lot of regions across Italy list varieties of ciambella as a conventional local dish.
PANE DI MATERA
This is very similar to Matera’s bread, and is famous all across the country because of its unique smell and taste. The bread has a lot of similar characteristics of pane di Matera.
The loaf is conical in shape, and weighs at around one or two kilograms.
The bread is made of around 20 percent of yeast with a dark, crispy and thick outer crust. With a salty and soft inner.
COPPIA FERRARESE
The main ingredients of this bread is pork lard, white flour, natural yeast beer, water, pork lard, olive oil and natural leaven.
It is an X-shaped twisted bread commonly found in the region of Emilia-Romagna.
Coppia ferrarese is traditional a “brand” protected bread, and certain rules exit for qualifying the bread as “genuine” coppia ferrarese.
PANE LATERZA
This traditional Italian bread comes from Laterza’s south eastern municipality. The bread is commonly made from salt, durum flour, sourdough and water.
One notable characteristic of the Pane Laterza bread is the outer crust which is crispy and brown contrasting the white and soft part inside.
These are a few of the most delicious and popular breads you can try across different regions of Italy.
To try these breads you can visit any nearby restaurant or bakery and enjoy the versatile flavors in each bread variety.
Anyone who is new to Italy will enjoy this wonderful experience in learning about all the different textures, varieties and tastes of breads produced in various parts of the Italian nation.
Find out more on: What Makes Italian Bread Different.
Popular Sandwiches
