Sugar & Almond Breads

A 16th century Italian Recipe.

Romoli, Domenico: La Singolare Dottrina Di M. Domenico Romoli... (Gio. Battista Bonfadino, Venetia, 1593)

V.101.187r. A far mustacciuoli di zuccaro & amandole. (To make breads of sugar & almonds).

Take three pounds of almonds, and heat them and peel them, & put them to soften in fresh water, then take a piece of sugar of three pounds, four ounces of fine cinnamon, and grind this sugar and cinnamon together, and then grind the almonds separately with the pestle in the mortar, in the fashion of grinding the almonds not to make oil. Then mix them with the said sugar, & cinnamon, and so you will do this for the entire amount that you want to secondly knead with the sugar and cinnamon, the said quantity, and if it would seem good to put in musk, you are able to put in this paste the quantity that you would like. With this paste you can make the sugar breads putting them to cook in the tart pan lastly greasing them slightly underneat with oil, & so little that you cannot feel it, and when they are on the fire put over them a card so that they do not cook too dark, & above toast heat, & when they should be cooked, you can gild over them with white orpine/painter's gold.