Coppia ferrarese
One of the most distinctive shapes in Italian baking, protected by IGP status since 2001. “Coppia” means “pair”: two pieces of dough, each with a flat centre and two twisted horns, joined in a cross. Once baked, the horns are thin and crisp like grissini, while the centre is softer. The dough is very firm, low in water, made with lard and olive oil, so the horns stay crisp for a long time. In Ferrara it is served with cured meats and salama da sugo. Shaping takes practice, but even uneven horns taste great.
Your own work in that: 1 h.
- Kneading 20 min
- Resting 30 min
- Shaping the horns 40 min
- Proving 60 min
- Baking 50 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneKnead a firm dough
Mix the flour with the yeast. Add the water with the malt extract dissolved in it, the lard, olive oil and salt, and knead 15–20 minutes. The dough has only 46% water — it will be very firm, but after long kneading it turns smooth and satiny.
Ingredients: 500 g plain white flour (Italian tipo 0) · 230 ml lukewarm water · 5 g dried yeast · 30 g lard · 20 ml olive oil · 1 tsp malt extract or honey · 10 g salt
Firm as pasta dough — that is right.Rest
Wrap the dough in film and rest 30 minutes. The gluten relaxes and the dough can be rolled thin.
Ingredients: 500 g plain white flour (Italian tipo 0) · 230 ml lukewarm water · 5 g dried yeast · 30 g lard · 20 ml olive oil · 1 tsp malt extract or honey · 10 g salt
Divide the dough
Divide the dough into 16 pieces of about 50 g (ideally weigh them) — each coppia is made of two. Keep the pieces you are not working on under film so they do not dry out.
Ingredients: 500 g plain white flour (Italian tipo 0) · 230 ml lukewarm water · 5 g dried yeast · 30 g lard · 20 ml olive oil · 1 tsp malt extract or honey · 10 g salt
Roll out strips
Roll each piece into a long, narrow strip about 30 × 5 cm and about 3 mm thick. You can pass the dough several times through a pasta machine on its thickest setting, then stretch it to length with a rolling pin.
Ingredients: 500 g plain white flour (Italian tipo 0) · 230 ml lukewarm water · 5 g dried yeast · 30 g lard · 20 ml olive oil · 1 tsp malt extract or honey · 10 g salt
Roll both ends to the centre
Hold the middle of the strip with one hand and with the other roll one end tightly towards the centre, rolling it back and forth under your palm on the worktop while moving your hand slightly sideways. The roll stretches into a thin, spiral horn about 10 cm long, tapering towards the tip. Stop about 3 cm from the centre. Turn the strip round and roll the other end the same way, drawing the horn out in the opposite direction. You get a Z shape: two horns joined by a flat bridge.
Ingredients: 500 g plain white flour (Italian tipo 0) · 230 ml lukewarm water · 5 g dried yeast · 30 g lard · 20 ml olive oil · 1 tsp malt extract or honey · 10 g salt
From both ends to the centre — two horns and a bridge.Twist the horns and join in a cross
If the horns start to unroll, give them a slight twist around their own axis — they should have a clear spiral pattern. Lay two pieces across each other so the bridges overlap, and press them firmly together with your fingers (moisten the bridge with a drop of water if needed). Spread the four horns into an X and set on a lined tray, about 4 per tray.
Ingredients: 500 g plain white flour (Italian tipo 0) · 230 ml lukewarm water · 5 g dried yeast · 30 g lard · 20 ml olive oil · 1 tsp malt extract or honey · 10 g salt
Two pieces crossed — that is a coppia.Prove
Cover the breads with film and leave an hour, until slightly risen. After about 30 minutes heat the oven to 210°C.
Ingredients: 500 g plain white flour (Italian tipo 0) · 230 ml lukewarm water · 5 g dried yeast · 30 g lard · 20 ml olive oil · 1 tsp malt extract or honey · 10 g salt
Bake
Bake 20–25 minutes, until the horns are golden and crisp and the centre pale gold. Bake the trays one after the other — keep the second under film in a cooler spot meanwhile. Cool on a rack — the horns firm up.
Ingredients: 500 g plain white flour (Italian tipo 0) · 230 ml lukewarm water · 5 g dried yeast · 30 g lard · 20 ml olive oil · 1 tsp malt extract or honey · 10 g salt
Before you start
Pasta machine
Ferrara bakeries pass the dough through rollers repeatedly until silky. A home pasta machine does the same and makes rolling such firm dough easier.
Without lard
Replace the lard with the same amount of olive oil. The bread is slightly less short but still crisp — though it is then a departure from the classic recipe.
Storage
With so little water, coppia stays crisp a long time — 3–4 days in a paper bag. Do not keep it in plastic, or the horns soften.
