Crescia al Formaggio

A delicious savory bread with salty cheeses and black pepper. 🐣

Growing up, there were always two types of Easter breads found on our table - one was our mother’s delicious sweet bread (recipe here). The other was our Aunt Mary’s Crescia al Formaggio, a savory bread that is flavored with salty Pecorino and plenty of black pepper.

Crescia, named after the Italian verb crescere - to grow, to rise, comes from the Marche region of Italy where our paternal grandfather Giuseppe was born. It uses our Aunt Mary’s recipe with some tweaks from our Italian cousin Massimo’s wife Maria; they still live in the very house where our grandfather and his brother, Massimo’s grandfather, grew up in Scapezzano near the Adriatic Sea in Marche.

With Easter this Sunday, we have arrived at Holy Week 2023. This feels like the first normal Easter in a long time. Covid-19 is mostly behind us and last year we were dealing with Mark’s mother’s illness. 

I have fond memories of Easter as a child. I remember the smell of the Easter breads cooking and the big family gatherings. I remember Palm Sunday and the palms brought home to make crosses and tuck behind a mirror. I also remember the Good Friday observances with Mass at Noon and having to sit quietly until 3 pm. And I remember my Aunt Mary making pans and pans of Crescia to bring to family and friends. I couldn’t wait to dig in and eat it toasted with butter for breakfast.

Every Easter, these breads still grace our tables. Click the box below for the recipe.

Buona Pasqua! 🐣

Joe