The recipe for Schiacciata alla Fiorentina from the historic Giorgio Pastry Shop

Kept secretly hidden Massimo Bernacchioni, son of the historian Giorgio, reveals it to us

Among the pastry shops of Florence, Giorgio is absolutely one of the best. The Florentines say so, as do the lovers of schiacciata alla fiorentina, the flagship dessert of a pastry shop that secretly holds its own recipe. For us, they made an exception: we spoke with Massimo Bernacchioni, son of the historic Giorgio, who together with his brother for almost 20 years has been personally producing the famous schiacciata alla fiorentina according to the recipe handed down from his father.

"The ingredients are the classics: flour, butter, sugar, lard, eggs, orange zest, salt ... The secret? It lies in the right proportions and above all in the constant search for top quality products. The last indispensable ingredient is experience" Massimo tells us.

"Everything started with my father Giorgio in 1972 - he continues - Father Giorgio has always been a pastry chef and has worked in some of the most famous pastry shops in Florence and its province: first at Gilli, then at Robiglio, and finally he went to work at Savini in Figline Valdarno. In the early '70s we came back to Florence with the idea of opening our own pastry shop; in '72, when we opened the pastry shop, there was nothing in Soffiano. I was 6 years old. I grew up inside the store. Since I was a child I was among cakes, pastries, saucers and trays. When I finished middle school I started working here, with my dad and my brother. Dad taught us everything."

But we certainly don't want to leave you without a recipe to remake at home, so here is the real Artusi's Schiacciata alla Fiorentina Recipe.

Ingredients for Schiacciata alla Fiorentina
- 200 gr. manitoba flour
- 300 grs. of 00 flour
- 200 grs. of sugar
- 200 grs. of lard
- 2 eggs possibly of the farmer (breeding on the ground)
- 250 ml. of lukewarm milk
- 20 grs. of yeast
- 1 orange with edible peel possibly organic
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- nutmeg and cinnamon
- Icing sugar to taste
- whipped cream (optional to taste)

Preparation
In the first phase of the recipe for Schiacciata alla Fiorentina, you must first of all sift about 300 gr. total of the two flours. Get a bowl, and pour the flours into it, creating a hole with your hands. At the same time heat about 100 ml. of milk and dissolve the yeast in it. Pour the milk and yeast into the bowl. Stir until smooth. Cover the bowl with a cloth or plastic wrap, and let rest in a warm place for about 1 hour.

In the meantime, take the orange and scrape the zest, being careful not to scrape the white part as well, which would otherwise be bitter, and squeeze its juice.

Take a new container and add the 2 eggs, the orange juice and the sugar. Mix until you reach a frothy mixture. Add the salt and a pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon, the latter two to taste. Slowly incorporate the remaining flour and milk. Then gradually incorporate the lard and orange zest. The mixture should not have any lumps.

Combine the two doughs
After an hour, take the first preparation, which in the meantime should have doubled its volume. Combine the two doughs and work by hand to bind the two textures.

Take a baking mold, ideally a rectangular baking pan with high sides (about 23 x 30 cm.), and line it with baking paper. Spread the dough evenly inside the pan and cover it again with cloth or foil for at least another 2 hours.

Cooking
Preheat the oven to a temperature of 200°. Remove the cloth or foil and place the pan in the oven, making sure to lower the temperature to 180° for about 30 minutes. The Schiacciata alla Fiorentina will be ready when you notice on the surface an inviting browning. If in doubt about the cooking, after 30 minutes do the toothpick test, it is always foolproof!

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. At this point, cover the surface with plenty of icing sugar, and if you want, try your hand at decorating it with the lily of Florence.

If you are particularly greedy, the advice is to, once cold, cut it horizontally and stuff it with a delicious layer of whipped cream or chantilly cream.