Pane di San Petronio

Name: Pane di San Petronio
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 10
Ingredients: Type 00 flour 3 ½ cups; Water 1 cup; Butter 3 tbsp; Fresh liquid cream 1 tbsp; Extra virgin olive oil ¾ tbsp; Fresh brewer's yeast 0.25 oz; Fine salt 1 tsp; Prosciutto crudo from Parma 3.5 oz; Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese shaved 2.8 oz; Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese to grate 1 oz; Butter 0.7 tbsp

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Difficulty: Average
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Serving: 10
Cost: Low
Note + 3 h of dough rising

PRESENTATION

San Petronio bread really stands out as one of Bologna’s proudest local foods. Especially during the city’s big celebration on October 4th. Folks there don’t just make any bread for the feast of Saint Petronio—their patron saint—they go all out with something soft, rich, and full of flavor. And listen, the bread comes as a big ring, loaded with some of the region’s best stuff: Prosciutto di Parma and Parmigiano Reggiano. That combo gives you a bite that’s kinda savory from the cheese and a bit tender from the ham. Seriously, there’s this fragrant scent in the air from the dough itself. Local women—who really know their stuff—bake it for the festival, and everyone around town gets super excited about this Bologna traditional bread showing up. I mean, there’s a lot of pride in making it the classic way, keeping the Pane di San Petronio recipe just as it’s always been in Emilia-Romagna.

In Bologna, this Italian stuffed bread isn’t just about filling up—it’s all about celebrating roots and coming together as a community. A slice of this bread brings you right into the spirit of the festival. With all those moist and chewy pieces packed with salty ham and nutty Parmesan. For real. It’s not unusual to see families sharing it during the celebration, passing pieces around and soaking up the good mood that comes with the feast. Compared to everyday loaves, this San Petronio bread is richer and way, way more tender thanks to those special local ingredients. Some people even call it a real symbol of Bologna patron saint bread—something you don’t really find outside the city. And look, eating it, you taste that special mix of tradition, festival, and local pride. You start to get why people in Bologna care so, so much about keeping this bread part of their October rituals. That feeling of connection and the soft inside make each bite more than just food—it’s a piece of history and celebration from the heart of Emilia-Romagna. Plus, it’s a really delicious way to experience the deep culinary heritage of the region.

INGREDIENTS

Type 00 flour 3 ½ cups (440 g)

Water 1 cup (220 g)

Butter 3 tbsp (40 g)

Fresh liquid cream 1 tbsp (15 g)

Extra virgin olive oil ¾ tbsp (10 g)

Fresh brewer's yeast 0.25 oz (8 g)

Fine salt 1 tsp (5 g)

For the Filling: Prosciutto crudo 3.5 oz (100 g) - from Parma; Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese 2.8 oz (80 g) - shaved

To Sprinkle: Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese 1 oz (30 g) - to grate; Butter 0.7 tbsp (10 g)

Preparation

How to prepare Pane di San Petronio

To prepare San Petronio bread, start with the dough. Dissolve the fresh yeast in the water 1. In a bowl, pour the flour, the water with the dissolved yeast 2, and the cream 3.

Add the oil 4 and start mixing. Once you've combined the ingredients into a single mass, add the softened butter in pieces 6.

Continue kneading to incorporate the butter 7. Then transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and flour the dough itself (about 1 oz of flour will suffice) 8: it should not be sticky, but soft and elastic. Knead briefly, then add the salt 9 and knead again until absorbed.

Once you have a smooth dough, shape it into a ball 10 and place it in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap 11 and let it rise for 2 hours at a temperature of 79-82°F (an oven turned off with the light on will work well). In the meantime, you can prepare the Parmigiano flakes that you will use for the filling.

After the rising time 13, place the dough on a lightly floured cutting board 14 and divide it into 2 portions of about 12.7 oz each.

Roll out one portion of dough with a rolling pin 16, forming an oval about 16 inches in diameter, and distribute the filling of Parmigiano flakes 17, slices of prosciutto 18

and more Parmigiano flakes 19. Roll up the dough and seal the ends well 21.

Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and join the ends to form a ring 22. Roll out and form the other bread using the second portion of dough. At this point, make slits on both rings with a knife blade 23. Finally, distribute some butter flakes and sprinkle with grated Parmigiano 34.

Let rise for about an hour 25, then bake in a preheated static oven at 356°F for about 30 minutes on the middle rack. Once the baking time is up, remove from the oven 26 and let cool on a wire rack. Serve the San Petronio bread while still warm 27.

Storage

San Petronio bread keeps for 2-3 days. You can freeze it.

Advice

If you want to replace fresh yeast with dry yeast, note that 1 gram of dry yeast corresponds to about 3.5 grams of fresh yeast. The rising times will not change, but you can add the dry yeast directly to the flour without dissolving it in water.

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.