Prosciutto Ring

The case of the missing lard.

First clue should have been when my daughter called me 

from the deli asking how much prosciutto, soppressata, pepperoni 

should she buy?

What are you talking about? 

It's just 3 oz of procuitto.

She was adamant there was soppressata

and more than 3 oz..

 I had no clue what she was talking about.

We were beginning to wonder which of us lost our 

marbles in this west coast heat wave.

As a vegetarian, I really couldn't get around the lard.

Flicking out pieces of prosciutto was one thing, but

bread with lard as a main component?  No.

What the heck,  I'll follow the recipe and

just not have any.

That made me a little sad.

Off to the market to buy a fat pig packet of lard

there was none to be found in the very large Hispanic food isle.

Melting my way back home in the forecast 110 degree temperature,

I made an instant decision.

I would substitute olive oil.

How much lard was that exactly?

There was no lard listed.

Good heavens!

Another long distance phone call to go over the ingredients.

They definitely did not match.

This was fate! 

The Baking Fairy had waved a magic wand

and given me a rogue copy of  The Bread Bible.

I didn't need to substitute anything but then 

I thought the texture would be too dry

and added two tablespoons of olive oil.

The texture is soft and fluffy.

The flavor delectable

with just a hint of olive oil in the background..

So like Hansel and Gretel,

I leave a trail of prosciutto bits, this time.

Next time procuitto on the side..  This is really good bread.

I love pan roasted peppercorns and

this bread showcases the cracked pepper perfectly.

I'm sure peppery deli beef would substitute well for

those that do not eat pork with any oil for softness.

It's really a great recipe and should not leave anyone behind.