CIAMBELLONE TERAMANO lesson
.......If we did well in school, we would probably offered a second slice, but in my case, it was a rare event because the school did not always agree with me.
Friends:
Growing up in Abruzzo after the II World War was not easy. The country was in the stages of being rebuilt, and conditions were harsh at times. But my parents always made sure that we enjoyed the best within limitations. Since I was the first to go out to school in the morning, I was always stuck with the leftover bread from the evening before, soaked in milk for the morning's breakfast, the famed Zuppa di pane e latte. My mother always had this ciambellone available for us upon return from school, usually served with Nutella...applied very sparingly. It was my memory treat, and to this day, I treasure those moments. If we did well in school, we would probably offered a second slice, but in my case, it was a rare event because the school did not always agree with me. My siblings did much better.
Enjoy this ciambellone, which represents the childhood of anyone raised in that part of Abruzzo.
Ingredients
200g/7oz unsalted butter softened, plus extra for greasing
300g/10½oz sugar
Four free-range eggs separated
300g/10½oz plain flour
100g/3½oz potato flour or cornflour
One lemon, zest only
4-6 tablespoons of whole milk
One sachet pane di angeli, or use 1 tsp baking powder mixed with 2 to 3 drops vanilla essence
Directions
Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3. Lightly grease a baking ring mold. Cream the butter and sugar until pale and creamy.
Stir in the egg yolks, plain flour, potato flour, cornflour, and lemon zest with four tablespoons of milk. If the mixture is thick, stir in 1-2 more tablespoons of milk. It should be creamy and light and stand in soft peaks in the bowl.
Stir in the Pane degli Angeli, baking powder, and vanilla essence mix.
Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. Then, fold the egg whites into the mixture. Pour the mixture into the greased baking ring mold and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown and springy.
Pane degli Angeli leavening agent is the brand translating to Angel Bread, alluding to how light the product makes cakes and bakes. However, in plain English, the packets contain a vanilla-flavored baking powder. (Buy on Amazon)
Chef Walters Cooking School, Providence, USA