Ciaccia with lardons

04/05/2025

We continue with our series of articles dedicated to traditional Easter dishes, and today, together with Cesarina Giada from Cortona, we present the recipe for Ciaccia with ciccioli, a dish from Tuscan tradition, typically prepared during the Easter holiday season.

“This dish is always part of our Easter family breakfasts. Every year, when I take the first bite, I am reminded of my grandmother who used to prepare it for the whole family, and it’s always a sweet memory”.

Ciaccia with ciccioli is a flavorful loaf of bread enriched with crispy pancetta cubes, a dish that carries the essence of tradition and family.

Ciaccia with lardons

A loaf of bread enriched with pancetta, a classic of Tuscan tradition with an authentic flavor.

DifficultyMedium

Preparation time3h

Cooking time40m

€

CostLow

Ingredients

300 g of flour
120 ml of water
20 g of lard
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
6 g of fresh yeast
250 g of cured pancetta
A pinch of salt
2 teaspoons of ground black pepper

Method

First, cut the pancetta into small cubes.
Sauté the pancetta in a pan without any oil until it becomes crispy. Once crispy, remove from heat, let it cool, and set it aside.
In a bowl, add the water and dissolve the yeast in it.
Once the yeast is dissolved, mix in the flour, water, lard, oil, salt, and pepper.
Knead the dough until it becomes smooth.
Now, add the crispy pancetta to the dough and knead for 10 minutes.
Shape the dough into a ball and let it rise for about 2 hours.
Once the dough has doubled in size, bake at 180ºC for about 40-50 minutes.
Once baked, let it cool and slice.
It is typical to serve it with hard-boiled eggs at Easter.