It is most likely the Italians who began the custom and tradition of Pane di San Giuseppe (St. Joseph’s Bread). Some form of St. Joseph’s Bread is always the centerpiece of St. Joseph’s Table, a centerpiece in many homes in Sicily during March and Lent, honoring St. Joseph’s Feast Day of March 19 which always falls during Lent.
Tradition says that during the Middle Ages, there was a terrible drought that encompassed Sicily, robbing the people of their farms and harvest for the year. Through prayers and devotions to St. Joseph, the father of Jesus, Sicilians knew that as the father of their Savior he would also save mankind from the drought.
When their prayers to him were answered, the drought ended and farms flourished, the people of Sicily began preparing St. Joseph’s Table every year with bread as its focal piece, in thanksgiving for their prayers to the Saint being answered.
Bread is made from wheat, as when “a tiny grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it bears much more food at harvest time.” Bread is the stable of the Table as a symbol that dictates no one can be turned away from the table and there is always an obligation to feed the poor. Many Sicilians always include sesame seeds sprinkled on top to resemble and symbolize teardrops in remembrance of Christ’s passion and death.
The Breads can be as simple as dough cut into two stripes, braided together and baked as a braid; they can be sweet as desserts, in the form of a cross or crown of thorns to honor St. Joseph’s foster son Jesus and His crucifixion. Or they can even be crumbs, which also symbolizes sawdust and St. Joseph’s lifetime labor as a carpenter.
Cooking with the Saints, a book by Alexandra Greeley and Fernando Floraest, which features recipes for a variety of saints honored at different months throughout the year, includes Basbousa, an Egyptian sweet cake which Egyptian Coptic Christians serve regularly throughout the seasons of Lent and Advent. The Cooking with the Saints book offers St. Joseph’s breadcrumbs simple and different, including both sugar and anchovies.
BASABOUSA
CAKE
½ Cup sugar
1 Cup sugar
1 Cup yogurt
¾ Cup shredded coconut
!/2 teaspoon each of baking powder and baking soda
1 12/ Cups coarse semolina
SYRUP for CAKE
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Preheat over to 350 * and grease a 9 X 13 baking pan.
Melt butter and cool. Combine sugar and yogurt, and stir in coconuts,baking powder and baking soda. Add dash vanilla extract if desired. Mix well, and pour mixture into prepared pan.
Sprinkle top with chopped walnuts or almonds if desired.
Bake cake for 40-50 minutes until tester in the center comes out clean.
While cake is cooking, prepare syrup by combining sugar and water, cook over medium heat, stirring until all sugar is dissolved. Add lemon juice and bring to a boil, cook for 5 minutes. Reduce heat and continue cooking at low temperature another 20 minutes. Let cool slightly while mixture thickens. While both cake and syrup are hot, pour syrup over the cake. Let it set for 15 minutes.
St. Joseph’s Bread (Pane di San Giuseppe)
1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
2 packages active dry yeast
6 cups flour, divided
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsps salt
4 tbls melted butter, at room temperature
Bottom of Form
5 large eggs, divided
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon anise seeds
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Combine milk and yeast and rest for 10 minutes.
Add melted butter, sugar, and 1 cup of flour; beat with regular paddle on a mixer for about 2 minutes. Add 4 of the eggs, anise seeds, and 1 more cup of flour.
Beat for 2 more minutes.
Add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough starts to tighten. Continue to knead the dough for about 3-4 minutes.
Transfer dough to a greased bowl, cover with a cloth towel, and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch the dough down and divide it into 3 equal pieces.
Roll each piece of dough into the shape of a thick noodle, about 1/2- to 1-inch thick and 20-22 inches long. Braid the dough together loosely and tuck the ends of the braids under the dough. Place the braided loaf on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Combine water and the remaining egg; brush the loaf with the wash.
Generously sprinkle the top of the dough with sesame seeds.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.
Transfer dough to a wire rack; let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
St. Joseph’s Crumbs (Mudrica di San Giuseppe)
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 Cups unseasoned breadcrumbs
3 anchovies, minced
1 teas. Sugar
Heart olive oil in skillet over low heat. Add crumbs, stirring constantly until they turn light golden. Stir in anchovies and mix well.
Remove from heat, cool on paper towels and sprinkle with sugar.
Can be used as substitute for grated cheese.
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