Crescentine modenesi

Bread from the Modenese hills

Crescentine are small breads associated with Modena province. They are also called tigelle, a name originally used for the clay discs that cooked them. This recipe uses a modern two-sided iron.

Crescentine and tigelle in Modena

In the strict distinction a regional source draws, crescentine are the breads and tigelle were the clay disks used to cook them. Common speech also calls the breads tigelle, so the two names overlap in use.

Travel Emilia Romagna places them in the Modena Apennines and describes them as field food that spread toward Bologna. Cured meats, cheese and lard pesto with Parmigiano are documented fillings. The Comune di Modena's local guide gives the same name pair and treats the bread as a piece of the city's table.

An older formula and a modern household batch

The regional account gives a sparse older formula separately from the yeast-raised household batch of Luca Pappagallo. The older formula does not specify a raising system or a complete method, so its yeast steps should not be read back into it.

The modern batch uses type 0 flour, milk added as needed, lard, fresh brewer's yeast and salt. It makes 14 to 16 pieces and uses two rises before cooking in a tigelliera or a heavy pan. The milk quantity is left to adjustment, so the batch is one household's method, not evidence for every local crescentina.