I always watched my grandmother cooking with admiration and curiosity. She, who had experienced those great deprivations typical of those who lived through the war years, kept two types of recipes. The “holiday” ones, the richest and most elaborate dishes, and the “real life” ones, as she used to call them.
More than actual recipes, they were a way to transform “a little” into “a lot”, leftovers into dishes, a lack into an abundance. So, when I asked her to give me the measurements and ingredients, she replied “it’s not a recipe, it’s just the imagination of those who have little”. So, I never had precise instructions for the bread cake, but I saw her do it dozens and dozens of times, and even if it was different each time, I was able to grasp the fundamental steps.
Just like she used to do then, today I also use bread cake as an opportunity to experiment and to add the ingredients that I find in the pantry and in the fridge to the bread softened in milk, without being too scared.
I remember that she used to use pine nuts, but dried fruit of all kinds is perfect because it gives consistency and adds a sense of temptation to the dessert; the only rule is there are no rules, and sometimes I have also added some biscuits to the bread that were at risk of becoming stale and no longer appetising for breakfast!
